Heirs to the Thrones
by RedSoul411
Summary: With a Shinobi war threatening to erupt, the fate of the Hidden Leaf, our favourite ninja and even the Akatsuki rest in the hands of two unlikely heroes of the Sarutobi and Hyuga Clan...good luck with that! KonoHana mainly
1. Chapter 1: Good Days, Bad Days

**Hi There. This is a little FanFic about two characters who REALLY need more screen time. This is **_**slightly **_**linked to my other FanFic in later chapters, but for now it's all about the fun :)**

**I do not own Naruto or any of the characters within it, this is just for fun.**

For those of the non-ninja community, Konoha was experiencing a delightful little day. The New-Season Market had been set up for the previous week and shopping and trade was rife within the village. Families flooded the streets for festivities and attractions brought in from across every town in the Land of Fire. In between the spectacles put on display through almost every high-street, some of the village's younger children had their attention drawn to the sky; and not simply because it was a cloudless day.

Flocks of birds could be seen from the crack of dawn all the way up to the midday sun rising. From eagles to pigeons, even the occasional owl and dove, avian seemed to think Konoha just as much a hot spot to be in as did the touring families. When any inquiry was made as to why so many 'pretty' birds were around the village, most parents waved off the question with distractions of dumplings, a new toy or the promise to see one of the puppet shows.

"But dada, look!" One little girl pointed upwards as three more birds flew in union up to the towering heads of the Hokage.

"Oh, they must be here for the parties too!" He laughed.

"But one of them is an owl; don't they sleep in the day?" She asked.

"Maybe he was too excited for all the entertainers that have come. Anyway, let's go and find your mother and your sister, they'll be watching the dancing." With that he lead her down onto one of the main streets.

The girl was right, out of the three, one was an owl, and two were desert eagles. They, like the others, landed at the bird sanctuary. This was commonly occupied by one of Tsunade's subordinates, but today, the birds nesting there were outnumbered by the ninja, two to one. Each Shinobi rushing to and fro, carrying parchment the birds had been delivering.

For those of the ninja community, Konoha was experiencing a horrible little day. Just the night previously, attempts on the lives of three feudal lords were made; the land of Wind, the land of Mountains, and the land of Vegetables. Information only reached Konoha early in the morning, thanks greatly to the speed in which the Kazekage had reacted to an assassination attempt in his own country. It was at this time that the Hidden Leaf, Sand, Cloud, Mist and Stone were all informed of the attacks in the other two lands. Hastening to the defence of their feudal lords, each of the nations' Shinobi held their collective breath in expectance of a second wave of attacks.

A truce - albeit a cold one - was drawn between the five nations, though behind the walls of each Kage's office, paranoia was brewing: Who was trying to seize power? Having lost one Shinobi to them, the Raikage was quick to pin the blame on the Akatsuki – this made perfect sense; a shake-up in the order of government at this scale would surely force the hand of the five great villages, and it was more apparent that the S-Class organization was in the habit of toying with the Kage, and then used Gaara's kidnapping as an example. Gaara himself didn't agree; though acknowledged that Shinobi of that calibre were involved, as no bodies were recovered by his teams. He knew personally what the Akatsuki were hunting, and it wasn't lords. Furthermore, agitating five ninja villages simultaneously would only be detrimental to their cause at this time, with so few members, and more Bijuu left to capture.

After confiding with Tsunade, he revealed a lack of faith in the Mist and Stone; with little communication from either throughout the day, and given their aggressive tendencies to taking over lands, he felt they may have known more than they were suggesting – either could be responsible. Tsunade, desperate to avoid another war, kindly reminded her fellow Kage of the attack that crippled her village three years previously – an attack he and his fellow Shinobi were at the epicentre of, and that rash decisions weren't Sunagakure's best qualities. Similarly, across the map, the Mizukage and the Tsuchikage both felt Konoha and Suna's blossoming friendship since that invasion made them look a tad too suspicious, and that two ninja villages were very capable of pulling off assassinations of the is calibre with more secrecy than one could, they felt the two were planning their own hostile take-over.

By the afternoon, every Jonin and Chunin still within contact with their village was sent to the borders. War was upon them. Each village just waited for the first move from the guilty party. Tsunade still felt, however, than none of the five were guilty, and thus hoped that the next week or two would reveal that. In response to her views, she felt it only damaging to tell the rest of the village of the national tensions being felt in only a few short hours. This left only a handful of ninja within Konoha – the Genin not on duty.

One such team was Ebisu's. Following a partial success on their last mission, both Moegi and Udon came down with the 'sniffles', after Konohamaru had opted to chase Tora the cat across a river. The result; two hours trying to fish the poor Genin out, only to have Konohamaru chase it back in the river again.

"I don't see what you're moaning about, you two. I'm feeling fine!" Konohamaru laughed at the two as they sat in a park.

"Well, maybe that's because you were quick to dry yourself off by chasing Tora, leaving me and poor Udon to cling onto a rock for dear life." Moegi shouted.

Udon just sneezed.

"When were you two in danger! It was a D-Ranked Mission!" he retorted.

"Er, hello! That river leads onto a waterfall!" Moegi squared up to her comrade.

Udon again sneezed.

Before any more could be exchanged between the two, Team Ebisu were interrupted by another young ninja.

* * *

Hanabi Hyuga awoke that morning to find much of her clan had left on urgent mission from the Hokage, but wasn't told anything more by the maids. Just as she began to warm up for some light training, word had been sent to her, in the form of a note attached to a Kunai thrown at the compound wall. After noticing the ninja that had thrown it was ANBU – whom disappeared as quickly as he came – she read the message stating she was to report immediately to Lady Tsunade and find any Genin she could along the way.

Unfortunately, after finding team Ebisu and trying to explain the situation to them, she found she was drowned out by the growls Konohamaru and Moegi were exchanging.

"Stop It!" She shouted. For ninja, they sure didn't possess any of the discipline her father had taught her.

"We need to go see the Hokage, now!" She then shoved the message under Moegi's scandalised face.

After examining it, Moegi just tossed it aside.

"Oh, come on! You're from that Hyuga clan right? I've heard you guys need to lighten up, always focusing on 'discipline' and the 'noble image of the clan'. Can't you see that there's a festival on! She probably just wants some Genin to keep watch over the crowds."

"Then why did this message come from ANBU!" Hanabi retorted, picking up the message from Moegi's feet.

"Yeah, yeah, _ANBU_ came and gave you that note, huh? Or was it that pig the Hokage keeps as pet?" Moegi laughed. Deducting that she was older than Hanabi, she made the classic error of believing she was wiser than her.

"Grrr, I don't have time for this! Are you two coming!" Hanabi immediately turned to the two boys.

"Uh, I don't feel so good. I don't wanna have to guard the town." Udon moaned, blowing his nose. Moegi gave a triumphant smile.

Konohamaru felt differently than his teammates. "Come on guys! This is a mission for Konoha! We've got to accept it!"

Hanabi was taken slightly aback. For all the stories she'd heard of Uzumaki's little disciple, she wouldn't have guessed he shared his grandfather's dedication to the village, no matter how trivial the task was.

"Oh you're just going against me out of spite!" Moegi spat. She grabbed Udon's arm and marched away, her nose held high.

"Guys! Come on!" Konohamaru shouted, He was so bored with the D-Ranked missions of late that he made himself believe the ANBU story Hanabi had told them, this was his chance to really shine, he knew it!

"Oh forget them! Come on, the message said it was urgent!" Hanabi grabbed Konohamaru's arm and dragged him towards the mansion.

* * *

Inside the office of Tsunade, Konohamaru and Hanabi noted how disorganised everything looked that day, and the alarming amount of messengers passing through the corridors.

"Er, Lady Hokage, you called for us?" Hanabi began.

Tsunade, speaking to an ANBU subordinate quietly by the window looked over and nodded. The man vanished and she marched over.

"Huh, just one Genin, and _him_ of all of them? beggars can't be choosers I suppose, and two is actually a far better number for this kind of mission..." She began, shaking her head.

"Hey, watch it lady!" Konohamaru retorted; his bittersweet relationship to Tsunade hadn't changed since their first encounter.

"I am in _No_ mood!" She shouted, making both the Genin jump back in surprise, she hadn't snapped like that in a while.

"You two may have noticed most the ninja stationed here are out of the village. This is because of a possible threat to our Feudal Lord."

The two gasped.

"Last night three other lords were targeted by unknown assailants, and all five Great Shinobi Villages are doing everything in their power to prevent another assassination attempt."

As dangerous as the situation sounded, Konohamaru liked where this was going. Was he going to be on border patrol too?

"Because our relationships with some of the other villages is lukewarm at best, our borders are being protected from both the assassins, and other Shinobi quick to pin the blame on us. For that reason, I have very little manpower to actually conduct an investigation into what happened. That is where you two come in."

Hanabi had been waiting for this for a long time - A chance to really show how much she had excelled with her family's training; and a chance to go on missions like her sister and cousin.

"I want you two to go to the Land of Vegetables; their lady Haruna is on good terms with this village following a mission your sister was once on Hanabi, she'll be more than willing to cooperate with you two with information on the attack. Find out who did this!"

"All Right! An A-Ranked Mission, fighting off Deadly assassins and saving Feudal Lords!" Konohamaru punched the air as Hanabi raised a sweat drop at her new partner's zealous attitude.

"I didn't say anything about apprehending the assassins! You're to inform this village with any information you get _immediately_ and then return. These are highly trained assassins that escaped even Gaara's best men; it's highly unlikely you two could beat them. Besides, we don't want the other villages to use any fight you two get in as an excuse for an invasion."

Konohamaru's hand fell slightly; she always had to spoil his fun. Hanabi, treating this with the utmost of importance just nodded.

"Er, one more thing. Where is Udon and Mogei, Sarutobi?" Tsunade had sat down, speaking with venomous interest. Had her order's not been clear that _all_ Genin were to report to her?

"Lady Hokage, I must confess that Moegi and Udon didn't turn up because -" Hanabi started, rather obnoxiously.

"Because, er, they weren't feeling too good. The river incident with that cat yesterday, haha." Konohamaru laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head and wearing a cheesy grin.

Hanabi glared at the Genin, why was he covering for those two?

"They'd be okay if you would learn a little bit of restraint! Make sure you keep that attitude of yours in check here. Hanabi here doesn't need your impulsiveness in this mission." Tsunade warned, giving the young girl a wink.

"Anyway, we _both_ thought the two could be given a break, so we went ahead." Konohamaru attempted to play his puppy-dog eyes that worked so well when he was the 'Honourable Grandson', as much as Moegi had annoyed him today, he didn't want either of them to land his friends in trouble, plus a small part wanted this to be _his_ adventure – except with Hanabi.

"Usually, I'd have the two cured at the hospital, but my Medical-Nin aren't exempt from border control, and I'm busy here. It'll be good to have a few Genin left in the village, in case anything breaks out in the festival." Tsunade sighed. Hanabi stepped forwards once.

"Lady Hokage, I must speak frankly. I do not believe that this Genin will be able to help in this mission. He, like that Naruto, is too loud, obnoxious, and deluded by his own ego. I've heard the stories around the academy, how his skills aren't anything like his uncle's or the great Sandaime Hokage," She began, he eyes closed as if she was reading a script in her mind, Konohamaru just growled, "He doesn't respond well to criticism, he doesn't listen to teammates – which is why he fails so often in his missions – and the only Jutsu I've heard he possesses is posing, hehe, as a girl!" Hanabi giggled.

Konohamaru definitely had the will of Fire at this moment.

"Hey, Don't You Dare Laugh at My Sexy Jutsu!" He roared to an un-phased Hanabi. Tsunade sighed, everywhere she went; she saw miniature Jiraiya's in the Shinobi world, as if they were victims of some sort of perverted plague.

"That's enough, Hanabi. You've no choice, I will not send a lone Genin on a mission like this, and I must confess I fear you're Clan's emphasis on family order and disciple may lead you on a similar path that Neji once walked Interacting with Shinobi you may or may not favour is all part of what it means to be a Leaf Ninja, see this as an opportunity to experience working with different types of Shinobi. And as for _you_ Konohamaru, she's said nothing I don't agree with; you are too focused on yourself to help out others in the mission, and your Ninjutsu and Taijutsu both need work before you can even begin to compare yourself with your uncle or my Sensei."

Konohamaru yawned at the length of Tsunade's long speech, also picking his nose.

"ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING YOU LITTLE JERK!" Tsunade erupted.

"Woah! Yeah, yeah, I've got! I'll be good!" He shook, as the Hokage's wrath began to bear down upon him.

Hanabi sighed as she resigned to the fate of working with this slacker. He'd definitely bring the efficiency of the mission down.

"I don't have time to waste on this mission, so you two better have left the gate within the hour. Get your essentials and go!" Tsunade ordered.

Composing themselves – after exchanging glares at one another – Hanabi and Konohamaru nodded and dashed for the door.

**Well, there's chapter 1, hope you enjoyed it. I'll get some more chapters up when I've got more of the story sorted, and we'll see Hanabi's and Konohamaru's opinions of each other change as time goes on. Don't forget to leave a review!**


	2. Chapter 2: First Outing

**Hi Again! Chapter Two took a bit of thinking to get right, I hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own Naruto or anything to do with it - this is purely fan-made :)**

Outside the mansion, Hanabi and Konohamaru hadn't spoken since Tsunade had given them their orders. Passing the threshold into the bustling street, Hanabi stopped and turned to her new teammate.

"I hope you meant what you said to the Hokage; I don't want you in my way!" She threatened through her glare – whether passionate about his village or not, the young Genin before her was a liability.

"Hey, I hope _you_ meant what you said to the Hokage too!" Konohamaru began.

"What? That you're a joke? A poor excuse for a Leaf Shinobi? I meant every word." She gave him a smug grin through half lidded eyes, this guy was too easy to upset.

"Not That! When you said you'd let go of that stuck-up Hyuga clan mentality you've got!" Konohamaru yelled.

"Urrgh, I don't have _time_ to waste talking to you! Just make sure you're at the Eastern Gate in half an hour!" Hanabi took off towards the compound after ordering this. Leaving Konohamaru to grumble that the western gate would be a better choice.

"Humph, what's her problem! And she thinks _I_ can't take criticism..."

Konohamaru didn't know how right he was. Hanabi didn't want to admit it, but Konohamaru's attack on her clan's mentality was something she didn't want to hear. She grew up with the hostility that Neji and the branch family felt for her family. She remembered vividly visiting her sister Hinata in hospital after her match with Neji during the Chunin exams, and seeing what he did to her. She felt every blow Hinata did, because, like her sister; she had a heart full of love too.

Unlike her sister, she wasn't afraid of the responsibilities of that came with the glorious name of Hyuga. She had spent her entire life obeying every demand her father had made, progressing through any pain she felt, in hopes of helping guide the clan into a future of prosperity. Her personal views of the Clan, and what it had done to the lives of Hinata and Neji over the years caused her nothing but pain; but the need to improve herself as a ninja was the only way she drowned these feelings.

Hearing others talk down the dogmatic style of the Hyuga Clan was like having a giant hand smack her across the face, knocking down all the pretence of importance she felt for her clan, and revealing the dark and painful truths that lay behind all of Konoha's ancient Clans – blood and disgrace.

Besides, who was _he_ to judge her clan! Some stuck up little Genin whose only claim to fame is being related to vastly superior ninja. How would he even begin to understand what kind of pressure she was under? She _needed_ to complete this mission! It was her chance to show just how far she had come. Now she was stuck with a loser like Konohamaru.

Hanabi was only vaguely aware of returning to her compound. Had she thought of what Konohamaru had said for the entire time? Swiftly entering her room, she managed to scramble together a few pieces of spare clothing, a pouch full of kunai, a map drawn by Neji for her graduation and a compass from Hinata. Scanning her equipment, she felt it suitable enough for travelling to the Land of Vegetables. Feeling confident that she was ready, she had left the compound before any of the maids realised she had returned.

* * *

Outside the Eastern Gate, she was shocked to find Konohamaru was already pacing around waiting for her.

"Oh, you're...Sorry I didn't expect you so soon." She began, clearly taken aback. Konohamaru just growled.

"You were the one that said we needed to get here straight away. What, you think I couldn't handle a simple thing like that?" There was a tone of accusation in his voice. He wanted to see if Hanabi would snap again. But she wasn't going to fall for that.

"Well, yes, I did say that, yes. Now, let's go." She brushed a bang out of the front of her face, and a gust of wind waved the rest of her hair, as Konohamaru looked on. Her eyes were half-lidded again as she gazed onwards towards the wind – those pearl-esque eyes that Konohamaru had to admit he found angelic. The wind itself caused her cheeks to redden, and she bit her lip in anticipation to the huge task that had been bestowed to her. Konohamaru noticed that she looked a bit like the girls in those magazines the Boss used to show him. Hell, the way this Genin was turning out, she could probably get a job being one of those girls when she grew up!

"Err, what are you looking at?" Konohamaru awoke from this trail of thought at this question. He now found the gust of wind had passed, and Hanabi was simply staring at him.

"Err, nothing. Come on, let's go!" Konohamaru sprinted forwards out of the gate, his scarf in tow. It only took him a few seconds through until he remembered something and skidded to a halt, as Hanabi coolly walks past him.

"Wait a minute! I wanted to ask why we've gotta go out of this entrance? The western ones gotta be quicker!"

"Because: I've been studying the lands outside our village for months now, in hopes for getting a mission like this. Neji-niichan gave me this map," She produced the map in a dignified tone, as if talking to an infant, "If you look at this, here, this is _us_, and that is the Land of Vegetables, and that path – that you so _wisely_ recommended – is riddled with mountainous terrain and riversides, that'll be flooding over this time of year." According to her, it was case closed.

"Yeah, but I heard from the Boss that there was all sorts of bandit-activity down this way." He pointed to several areas of the map that _did_ look cosy enough for bandits.

"No offence, but I think that you're 'Boss' Naruto may've been exaggerating. Everyone knows that he hasn't passed the Genin rank, and he loves to talk all big, so I don't think we want to take anything he says very seriously -"

"Hey, Boss is a great Ninja; He was trained by the Toad Sannin for three years! And he taught me my Jutsu -"

"You mean that poor excuse for ninjutsu? It just proves the two of you are pitifully confused about your gender-"

"Are you always this annoying? You're worse than Moegi ever was!" Konohamaru pouted.

"Err, Excuse me! I'm nothing like that little layabout! Hiding from Lady Hokage because she fell in a river! What a joke!" Hanabi felt offended that he would even consider her in any way similar to Moegi.

"Hey, don't bad-mouth my teammate like that! I had to cover for them when you went to squeal to the old lady about them!" Konohamaru was going red with anger.

"Well I wouldn't have had to if they just followed instructions; come to think of it, I don't know who is the more moronic of the two of you!" Hanabi screamed back at Konohamaru.

"Arrgh, I can't work with you! Screw this!" With that he turned and stomped back to the village.

"Where do you think you're going?" She shouted.

"I'm going to the Western Gate; I'll get there my own way!" He called back, still red in the face.

"You've got to be kidding me! I just said that way was more treacherous! You really are thick!"

"Oh Yeah! Try saying that when you're being hunted down by bandits! The old lady said we've got to be quiet about this, and you want us to go into a forest of thieves! You're the thick one!"

"Arrgh! Fine! I don't need you! I'll do fine on my own." Hanabi turned, fury and determination etched across her face as she sprinted towards the sun gleaming path.

Konohamaru was marching back to the village; he never saw a few tears running down her face.

* * *

Konohamaru did, however note a maid waiting expectantly at the gate upon his return; she wore a nervous and lost expression.

"Hey can I help you lady?" Konohamaru asked.

"Oh, have you seen Hanabi Hyuga? The compound had just received word that she is to be sent on a mission." He noted that she held a large rucksack in her arms.

"Er-" He began.

"The maids have headed to each gate hoping to catch her; It's her first mission you see, and -"

"Wait! First mission! I've heard Hanabi had been on missions before!" Konohamaru interrupted.

"Well, she's not been on a mission like this. The Hyuga clan are very protective of their future Main Family leaders, and so she's usually handed missions within the Fire Country's boundaries, and is usually escorted by a Branch Family member. Today is a big day for her if she is indeed sent out! Each of us came with a rucksack with essentials for long travel; she has never had to plan for journeys across the borders and we were sure she'd miss something."

Konohamaru was shown the rucksack containing various rations, a sleeping bag, several Kunai, a first aid kit, and Ryou. He gulped loudly, yet the poor maid was too preoccupied looking around at the surrounding streets in hopes of seeing Hanabi.

In a need to up-show the younger Genin, he'd come thoroughly unprepared! Moegi usually dealt with provisions and equipment – after the survival training fiasco with the Boss. The gulp also showed how much of a jerk he may have been, he'd never have guessed this was her first order from the Hokage. No wonder she was taking it so seriously. Then the thought struck him! If her gear was here, then she too must have been travelling with next to nothing, except that map from Neji.

He didn't care how smart she may be, a twelve-year-old Genin crossing the border without any real experience or comrades spelt disaster. His initial response was to run off and catch up to Hanabi, hoping she was alright, but he was still too mad with her to be that heroic; and it would seem like he was letting her win.

"Er, well, why don't you go back to the Hyuga compound and see if she has gone there, and I'll wait here with her rucksack in case she comes by!" Konohamaru grinned.

The maid nodded in appreciation before handing over the sack and heading off. That was easy. If he caught up to her with this, then he could make it look more like he was the smarter one; having prepared for it better. He quickly dashed off in the direction that Hanabi had. He had to admit however, a small part of him felt more sympathetic towards Hanabi if what the maid said was true. He knew what it was like to be pampered and told what you couldn't do. It was no wonder why this mission meant so much to her, it was her way of proving she was capable of being a real ninja. He decided he'd apologise to her when he found her, or at least, he'd try to.

* * *

The sun was burning bright over the leaves of the forest. Woodland animals scampered to and fro, busying themselves with day to day lives. As one fawn began to eat at the blades of grass surrounding one of the trees, a hand gently stretched out and scratched it's ear. Unafraid of the hand, the fawn moved it's head forwards encouraging the hand to continue.

An unusual bird called from out of sight, causing the hand to immediately stop and retract to a nearby bush. The fawn ran off as a pair of human feet appeared where it had been grazing.

"We're not here to enjoy the wildlife, y'know." A voice came.

"I know, but just waiting here, it's so troublesome. Besides, my clan's always been good with these." The casual image of Shikamaru moved out of the bush to the figure.

"Be that as it may, you're eyes should be fixed ahead!" Responded the other ninja.

"I thought I was better suited to waiting in the shadows, coming up with the bright ideas! It's guys like the Aburame, the Inuzaka and the Hyuga that are better suited for surveillance. Oh, and guys like you."

"My dogs are stretched around this border, and if you're referring to _this_," The Shinobi removed his headband which lay over his left eye, "then it doesn't pick on things like the Byakugan does."

Both Kakashi and Shikamaru's conversation was ended abruptly however, when another Shinobi signalled them to turn. They saw in the distance, beyond the forest edge, a small cart and peddler crossing the path.

The old peddler hadn't been aware of many things the past few years. He wasn't aware that his son had left his previous wife and remarried, calling the new young woman 'Hazel, my dear', he wasn't aware of the drop in trade for his foul-smelling pickles, and he certainly wasn't aware of the rain of Kunai that the forecasters forgot to mention. One move, even the slightest sign of _anything_, and this guy was dead. There was no sound from the forests. As he soldiered on past each tree, the silent arms of the Shinobi effortlessly tightened their grip on their Shuriken and Kunai, each aiming straight for the head and chest. Storms of Shinobi raised their arms, stance ready to kill as soon as he showed any suspicious signs.

It would be quick; no noise, no battle cries, no pain, no time – forget battles between the Sannin where Jutsu rules, this was Shinobi at their best. A forest of eyes watched intensely as he struggled to heave the cart down the path running alongside the forest border. Eventually, after several pain-staking minutes he managed to pass out of their sight, sighing with frustration as he did so. They were seven of the longest minutes in Shikamaru's life, and seven of the most deadly for the unbeknownst old man.

"I don't like this. Aiming to kill anything that so much as touches a tree in our borders; how are we meant to do anything about catching these guys, if all we're doing is waiting around for enemy Shinobi to come marching into our territory?" Shikamaru groaned.

Kakashi nodded and spoke quietly. "I know what you mean. Speaking from the assassin's point of view, trying to enter any of the five great nations would be suicide at this point; this situation wouldn't have been so bad had Suna not been one of the targets, but if you ask me, Gaara and his men were just caught with their pants down, nothing more."

Shikamaru blinked twice before speaking again. "You think this was intentional, don't you? The perpetrators want it to be like this? Why?"

"Those attacks lead to few casualties, but no Feudal lord was injured. Because all three survived, the villages are pretty much restricted to what they are allowed to do. Say one of them died, particular one of the two outside of our nations, then any of the villages could claim emergency control over the land for the time being: a swift takeover.

"The other four nations wouldn't be afraid to guard their borders; they'd know who to attack. Because all five nations aren't aware of _who_ we're defending against, they don't want to put any of their Shinobi in the limelight for fear that they'll be branded the assassins. The result; all five nations are sealed off to the outside world." Kakashi's grip tightened at the side of the tree as he said this.

"Nothing comes in, nothing comes out, huh? Then that means for the smaller nations surrounding us, the one's we're not protecting anymore; the assassins could be walking in full daylight." Shikamaru was seeing where this was going.

"Exactly! It's more likely these failed attempts were to keep _all_ of us from doing _anything_! Allowing them to get on with what they were really planning." Kakashi paused.

"Which is what?" Shikamaru urged.

"That's what worries me. I don't know."

**Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to go to the border and show what some of the smarter Shinobi think of the situation, the next chapter will be the first real turning point for KonoHana, so keep reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Distractions

**Hi again! Here's chapter 3! It's time for Konohamaru and Hanabi to get their first taste of action in this story. Again, I'm not the creator of Naruto, this is purely fan-made.**

Groups of Konoha residents were still out in the street by the time the sun began to set; brushes in hand as they casually swept the littered streets. Usually, the residents of the village may feel annoyed at the rubbish that had gathered, but the picturesque day was still fresh in their memories, and each parent cleaning was still within earshot of the children, whom had not lost any energy since the morning and were playing further up the streets.

The stands that were crowed only a few hours ago were now dismantled and being carted away, as if they were never there. The only signs of the festival that still lingered – besides the glowing cheer from the residents – was the food stands cooking up meals for the patrons still outside. One stall was setup by Ayame, who was overjoyed at the gathering crowd waiting patiently for her tsukemen, while her father Techui dashed around assisting her.

"I have to admit that I didn't think you're new restaurant direction was gonna be this popular, but these people love it!" He exclaimed.

"Haha, I know! Now only if I can convince Naruto to come around and embrace the future of Konoha cuisine!" Ayame declared, brandishing a ladle as if it was a sword and pointing it high towards the sun. She would look gloriously powerful, had she not been a young chef who'd absent-mindedly whipped said ladle out of a boiling urn of soup, spreading much of the content onto her poor father's face, leaving him screaming off to a nearby pond.

"Speaking of Naruto," She said, returning to her usual modest demeanour, "Shouldn't he be here? With Kakashi?" At the mention of Naruto's sensei, blood rushed to her cheeks and she couldn't help but fantasise about the Jonin gliding through the crowd, declaring she was the most beautiful and talented chef to ever exist, confessing eternal love for her, and then sweeping her off of her feet and walking to the sunset whilst the crowd burst into tears of joy.

"Hey! Can I get my order, please?" Shouted a particularly indignant customer, wrenching her from this world of fantasy she'd slipped so happily into.

"Sorry! Here you go!" She began distributing more and more tsukemen as her father wiped away the soup. Glancing up, he noted the growth in foreign birds occupying the sky above them.

"Huh? Something tells me neither of them'll be here for a few days." He mused to himself. He'd served ramen to Leaf Shinobi for years, and heard enough of their procedures to recognise signs like this. He didn't see a single ninja walking the streets that day, and he knew the primary form of communication between them were birds. Something bad must've happened.

Turning to look at the Hokage's mansion in the distance, Techui felt a sense of foreboding. Citizens of the Leaf, such as he, had faith in those who protected the village, but if the more fickle members of this society noticed that something so catastrophic had happened, that would warrant all the Konoha Shinobi to leave the village, panic would erupt.

He just hoped the Lady Hokage could deal with the situation before that could happen.

* * *

Tsunade's day had not improved in the slightest. More and more reports had flooded into her office.

"According to the reports near the shoreline, we can see the Kiri Shinobi are just as enforced as we are. All shipping routes between us and them have been suspended. You don't even want to see what they did to some poor fishing boat." Explained one of Katsuyu's miniature vessels.

"How could they confuse a fishing boat as an enemy ship! I swear, their ninja must be _loving_ this! This to them is a golden excuse to kill anything that moves!" Growled Tsunade.

Just then, the slug reacted.

"News from the western border. We've received the backup." Katsuyu reported.

Tsunade stared for one moment. Backup?

"I sent no backup to any of the borders. I don't have the manpower to provide any." Her brow lowered, where'd she get the extra set of hands?

"Ah, good. It seems my people are there then." Came a voice creeping in from the doorway. Tsunade looked up, and growled louder than ever.

"Even I am impressed by how quickly my Shinobi responded to the late demands. They were mysteriously left without orders. Why would that be?" The voice asked, as a crooked and bandaged old man moved into the room. For some reason, the sky became noticeably darker.

"I simply assumed _you_ would've already ordered them, that's all. Is there anything else Danzo? I'm a very busy woman. We can't all just waltz around the village like you." Tsunade lifted another report in an attempt to signal an end the conversation. She knew he wouldn't leave so easily.

"Is that all? No thank you? Never mind. I'm here to inform you of dire errors in your strategy -" He began.

"I don't want to hear your opinion, unless I ask for it!" Tsunade yelled behind the piece of paper.

"Such ignorance when faced with the harsh reality of the world! Look around you! We are at war! You yourself have just heard word that Kiri is attacking anything that comes near it's borders. The Hidden Cloud is abnormally quiet about the situation, and our 'friendship' with Suna is something that can only lead us into a false sense of security. Of course, you'd never look at it like that. You weren't here when they ravaged our land." Danzo knew he'd struck a nerve.

"Get out...now!" She whispered. The last thing Tsunade needed was war-mongers like this guy.

"Too slow to act, just like Hiruzen. Anyone could've seen the signs; it was just that you and Gaara were too dim-witted to expect an attack," Danzo paced the room, as if he already owned it, "Had the assassins attempted the life our Feudal Lord, the lax security would surely have resulted in his death. This is a clear sign you lack the skills to be Hokage."

"Not this again! Any problem you have with me and this position, leave it at the damn door! Konoha doesn't need this power-struggle even when in peace. So it definitely doesn't need it when every Shinobi on the border is confused enough as it is. Get out and stay out of my way!" She pointed back at the door.

Danzo sighed, and the left. Tsunade threw both her hands on the desk; momentarily forgetting her own strength, and cracking it in two, causing the Katsuyu to retreat slightly. Tsunade breathed to ten and cracked the bones in her neck.

"I want you to keep your eyes on the Root ANBU that have arrived at the western border."

"Why do I need to spy on the Root ANBU?" the Katsuyu asked.

"Because they're more of a threat to our Shinobi than any assassin outside our land." Tsunade replied.

* * *

Konohamaru's pace had quickened of the past hour. She looked such a weak thing. Who'd have thought she was this quick? Chasing her for the majority of the day, he found it hard enough just noticing any trace of her in the trees.

What made him feel even more distressed was the fact that he knew this land quite well over the past few years. He didn't need a map to tell him she indeed had headed through the bandit territory that he'd been warned about by the Boss. She may be fast, but she was already out of her depth. After all, she was pampered up by her maids her whole life – she had maids!

If Hinata was anything to go by, Hyuga girls were in constant need of a heroic figure to fight their battles. He'd seen the Boss do this, and _knew_ he may need to step in and save her from herself too. Konohamaru couldn't help but note that some of this distress came from the growing sense of insignificance he'd been developing since Asuma's death.

How far had he come? His uncle and grandpa were awesome; held the respect of the whole village and could go up against even the most ruthless of Shinobi. But he wasn't anywhere near their ability. Sad but true, what Hanabi had said about him was what he was slowly feeling himself over the past few months. Even if he did begin to excel; both his family heroes had fallen. What chance did he truly stand?

It was at this point that it hit him. Crashing to the floor, Konohamaru saw a blurry pair of feet approach before he gave up on consciousness. Time became irrelevant. Balls of light would drift past his vision as numbing pain shot through his skull. Echoing noise throbbed at his eardrums. He wished the noises would just shut up. He attempted to move; he couldn't. His memory began to return.

No way, he thought. He'd been ambushed. Awaiting his senses to fully waken with him, he pretended to stay unconscious, rule number one of escaping; don't alert your captives. He caught snippets of their conversation as his ears began to focus on their voices.

"I thought you guys had seen a girl. How'd you confuse that little runt with a girl?" One asked, laughing.

"No, this was someone else. I saw her eyes. She's a Hyuga, I'm certain!" The other claimed.

Oh no, he thought, they knew about Hanabi. If someone as experienced as him was captured, then she surely would've been taken prisoner too. He cringed when he thought about what they'd do to her. It was just like he'd thought before the ambush; he was no help at all.

"Maybe they're out here together? Two Genin out in the forest at this time of night, they're probably on a mission."

"In that case keep him alive for now. We've searched through his stuff. Some Kunai, provisions (we'll keep them) and a huge amount of Ryou. I'd say this guy isn't just anybody either; carrying that kind of cash with him."

"All the more reason for us to not kill him yet. We could blackmail Konoha to handing him over to his family."

The bastards were planning on using him as hostage! And the way they were talking about Hanabi, they mustn't have found her, yet.

"You two; take him outside. Leave him in the clearing and wait until the girl arrives, then pick her up too. Having this rich little punk and a Hyuga girl would double our chances of getting the cash."

Konohamaru then heard footsteps approach him, and felt a heavy pair of hands lift him off the ground. Taking a chance, he opened his eyes slightly as the man threw him over his shoulder. He briefly caught a glimpse of seven other stocky men gathered around a fire in what appeared to be cave; two of them counting the cash he'd been carrying as he saw the rucksack torn apart near their feet.

Cursing to himself, Konohamaru wished he had worked harder on his escape Jutsu. After several minutes of being carried through the forest, he was thrown to the floor, and mastered all his focus so he wouldn't cry out in pain, his head hadn't softened any.

Then there was silence. It was late into the night when he was dropped into the clearing. He again risked the open of one of his eyes. He couldn't see the two bandits. They were hiding. He felt himself shivering.

He wanted to blame it on the cold conditions, but in truth the night was as humid as the day had been. He was simply afraid; for himself and Hanabi. A part of him wanted to shout out right there and then in hopes Hanabi would hear. Alerting her about the bandits and how he was bait to lure her in. That would be the heroic, noble, cool thing to do; something uncle Asuma would do. But he really wanted her to come. To find him, and get him out of this mess.

Time went by, he felt as if an eternity had passed before he heard a rustle coming from a bush up ahead. He gulped slightly, what if she got captured too? It would be his entire fault. Whimpering slightly, he caught the noise of the two bandits, producing their Kunai from the shadows. On no, this was bad. She'd surely be captured.

The rustling grew louder, and he held his breath in fear as he waited for the blades to fly past his body. He could picture it already. She'd emerge with that 'I-told-you-not-to-slow-me-down' smug expression on her face, right before she'd register the pain the Kunai would bring, before collapsing as her attackers laughed.

The rustling indicated that her presence was close now. He stared, transfixed with fear straight ahead, begging himself to say something, but he just couldn't muster enough courage to. Just then, the culprit of the noise revealed themselves. A curious woodland fox. Creeping slowly into the clearing, the fox noticed Konohamaru's body in the centre and trotted forwards, glancing left and right as he did so. Stopping right over the Genin, he sniffed his body and face, turned his head to examine what he saw, and began to lick his nose.

Konohamaru stifled his laughter as the fox continued to sniff around, until he heard one of the bandits speak up.

"It's a fox. Just kill it."

A Kunai could be heard being thrown at the poor creature. But no yelp was heard. No blood was shed onto Konohamaru. No life was taken. Slowly looking up, he saw a figure standing above him and the fox. He saw the back of long, raven hair as a hand had caught the Kunai mid-throw. He also heard the gasp of two bandits.

"Don't even _try _that! I can see the both of you!" Hanabi cried.

Through her vision, she could see both the bandits reaching into their pouches to pull out more Kunai. They glanced at one another, expecting the other to act first. They wanted her to come to the clearing, but they weren't betting on her being able to catch Kunai and see them in the dark.

Never having had any real training in strategy, the two opted to charge forwards and take the little girl head on. Hanabi was a Hyuga. This was a lethal mistake. Konohamaru couldn't close his eyes as he saw the petite, lithe young figure twist and coil her way between the two; landing elegant blows to their bodies which crippled them as if Might Gai had attacked them.

Both collapsed in a heap of wheezing and blood as Hanabi sighed, composed herself and turned to her comrade, or at least he thought she turned to her.

Bending down low, she began to pet the little fox.

"No need to worry my little friend, they can't hurt you anymore." She beamed a smile at the fox as she scratched the back of his ear. Konohamaru hadn't seen her smile like that before. It would've been nicer, had he not been experiencing considerable head pains and tied up.

"That's nice, now do you wanna help me?" He snapped.

"Not really, no." She responding cheerfully, as she continued to stroke the fox.

Konohamaru growled, "Come on! Get me out of these ropes."

Hanabi sighed again and stared at him.

"I thought you were going your own way. You marched off. That means you abandoned the mission. I'll let the Shinobi at the border know when I get there, they can come and get you." With that she rose and went to leave.

"Wait! Come on! Please!" Konohamaru begged. He couldn't believe he was actually worried about her. How could she be so cold.

"Not listening." She called back, disappearing into the forest.

"You think you can get to the border on your own! I came because you didn't have the right travelling gear! The bandits have all the stuff!" He cried, desperate for her to turn.

He had a point. After slowing down to camp for the evening, she had realised she was dangerously unprepared for long journeys. Stopping in her path, she knew she'd need the stuff he bought.

"Where is the hideout?" She called, not even turning to face him.

"I'll tell you if you let me go." He bargained. He knew it. He'd already convinced her.

"Ha! I could just find it without your help." She retorted.

"Yeah! But do you want to risk searching for it by yourself? That might take some time, and they'll be alerted to your attack on these two," He nodded his head to the two beaten bandits, "Which would make it harder to get the gear."

She knew he was right. If she had the information now, she'd be able to infiltrate quickly enough to get the travelling gear. There was little choice; she'd have to untie him.

Returning to the clearing where the fox was now sleeping, she bent down and cut the rope with a Kunai the bandits had. Upon closer inspection, she recognised the design.

"Hey, these look awfully familiar..." She began, as Konohamaru stretched upon his release.

"You must be seeing things. Come on, I'll show you the way." He rose as Hanabi shook her head.

"Oh no! You: go off in that direction," she pointed to the east, "that's where I'm camping. Wait there for me. I'll handle the bandits."

"Are you kidding me! One girl going in there alone! They'll kill you!" He exclaimed.

"Ha! I didn't seem to have any trouble with these two. Tell me where they are; I'll show them what this girl can do." She looked determined.

Konohamaru submitted and pointed in the direction he came from. With that she was off in a flash. He lingered for a moment, before racing off after her. Whether he liked it or not, she'd saved him, and he wasn't going to leave her until he repaid the favour.

**Well, there you have it. Will Hanabi kick more ass? Or will she need Konohamaru's assistance? The next chapter will be up pretty soon, so keep reading and reviewing :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Boy behind the Name

"Oh, the evening sky is so beautiful!" The raven-haired girl sighed, linking her arm to the man of her dreams.

"I know; it just seems to be complete when I look at it with you." Replied her lover.

She shivered slightly as they walked, prompting him to wrap his long scarf around her lithe shoulders. She sighed into the warmth, as he pulled her in to an embrace; her soothing aroma kept him there for a few moments.

"I'm so happy I gave us another chance! I know we weren't so happy when we first started out, but I can't imagine being within anyone but you – regardless of what my father says."

She leaned in for a gentle kiss, letting go of all her inhibitions.

They embraced and sighed, feeling as though the moment should last an eternity. Alas, after another stare into each other's love-filled eyes, they continued on their way.

"It won't be easy getting to the land of Vegetables, but I know that you and I can handle any challenge. We've been through too much already." wrapping his arm around her, he gazed onwards with a sense of optimism.

He just knew the two of them would be together their whole lives. He didn't know how right he was.

Taking one more step along the path, he felt the warmth of his beloved next to him. And that was the last thing he ever felt. Collapsing to the floor, the both of them lay dead in the road.

* * *

"What the hell was that!" Anko shrieked, not even pretending to be quiet.

The other four Shinobi, including Shino, turned to her – none of them seemed surprised she lashed out like that; they were thinking the same thing.

"What the _hell _was that!" She cried again turning far to her right, where two other figures dashed to the ground and towards the dead couple.

"Who authorised them?" Shino whispered; he couldn't imagine the Hokage so casually sending Root ANBU here.

Anko gritted her teeth and also descended, then marched right out the forest towards the two figures.

"Hey! I'm talking to you!" She yelled, striding right up to the face of the nearest one. He didn't flinch, he didn't respond, he threw his palm up to a fraction away from her face, halting her. Anko got momentarily lost in her own surprise, before the anger festering within her began to arise.

Turning his hand away, the ANBU continued to march forwards towards the bodies, where his comrade was already rummaging through their corpses.

"Don't you walk away from me!" Anko roared, now hastening her pace. If she didn't control her anger much longer, she'd do something stupid – but she couldn't help it, this was the fourth time today.

"There is nothing." The searching ANBU spoke; one would assume he had sympathy in his voice, but it was too hollow.

"What the hell did you think! They weren't even going near our border. They were turning down _that _road!" She cried, pointing at the crossroad between them and the border. The ANBU exchanged looks before taking a body each and walking back towards the trees.

Anko just stood in disbelief again. As the two past her, she caught sight of the young woman's face, frozen in peace – fate had nothing to do with her death, she shouldn't have died at the hands of these monsters.

Feeling the blood rushing to her fists, Anko forgot her orders; she didn't care about the assassins, the Shinobi she was currently instructing up in the trees or the fact she and these two were on the same side as her – she'd make them pay.

Within a flash, Anko had struck at one of them from the back of the head. It was a mistake. The other had already turned; stepped on her foot while throwing a palm to her face sending her backwards. As she fell, she felt a knee connect to the bottom of her spine, causing her to lose all balance and control, before realising a Kunai was now placed on her jugular.

"Mitarashi Anko, that was foolish." One obnoxiously commented, whilst the other chuckled.

"I was under the assumption this Jonin was a proctor of the Chunin exams. Does she show the Genin how _not_ to strike an opponent?" The other asked, already leaving with his body. Shino and the other Shinobi had also left their posts and circled the two, equally ready to attack.

"Stand down." One ordered without enthusiasm.

"You just attacked our captain. You stand down." Shino spat, facing the one still holding Anko.

"I'm such an Idiot!" Anko screamed to herself.

"Your captain was the first the make an assault. Her current situation is the result of poor self-control and an insubstantial level of skill. Such treachery as to attack a fellow Leaf Shinobi is a disgrace." The standing ANBU spoke; with an air of menace in his voice.

As he told them this, the ANBU holding Anko tightened his grip and drew some blood from her neck, causing her to groan again.

"Now get out of my way." He squared right up to Shino's face. He noted a beat of sweat fall down the side of the young Chunin's face.

"You may have more control than Mitarashi Anko, but you too could do with more work in hiding your emotions, especially fear. Move." He pushed Shino aside; the Aburame submitted. The second ANBU threw Anko to the ground, lifted his corpse and marched through the crowd of ninja.

Shino ran over to help Anko up.

"What an idiot!" She declared again.

"You are being too harsh on yourself. They've been at the western border for only four hours now, and already they're making us all tense." Shino sympathised.

"I'm not an idiot for attempting to kick their ass, Shino. I'm an idiot for reacting so badly. Just what is the Hokage doing sending Root here?" her face contorted in hatred as she saw the two head for the trees with the lifeless lovers.

"Keep an eye on them Shino, in a way only _you _can."

* * *

Hanabi had reached the hideout in only a short space of time. Spreading herself against a wall outside of the cave, she momentarily glanced in.

"One, two, three by the fire – they've all got their backs to the entrance, amateurs. Then three of them beside some crates, going through some money." Hanabi's observations gave her the information she needed. All she had to do was incapacitate the three by the fire, whist the three others busied themselves.

If she timed it right, she could have the first three taken down with two moves, leaving her to catch the other three fully surprised. But why stop with two moves? Why not one? She'd seen father and Neji do it plenty of times now. She knew what she would do: The Heavenly Spin.

Crouching into the shadows, Hanabi's nimble and petite figure manoeuvred between the shadows of the flames, without making a sound. The six bandits had no clue as to what lay in wait for them. Edging closer to the three gathered around the fire, Hanabi felt her heart begin to race.

This was nothing like the training she went through with her family. This was real ninja action. There were no maids dashing to and fro for her, no harsh parental figures to tell her and Hinata what they could or couldn't do. Excitement coursed through her veins. This was incredible.

Unfortunately for Hanabi her half-conscious thoughts betrayed her; stepping too hard onto the ground, she'd managed to scrape alongside some gravel on the ground, which urged all six to turn.

Silence ensued for a moment.

"What the -" One of them began.

Hanabi threw one of her gentle fists right into the gut of the closest one, and leapt into the air, thus allowing her to be surrounded. Slightly disgruntled at failing to execute her plan without any fault; Hanabi landed on one of her legs, but used the fall as a boost as she began to rotate.

"Eight Trigrams Palms Heavenly Spin!" She cried as they closed in.

Something went wrong. She felt only a swell of pain forming throughout her entire body before one punched her in the back of the head, knocking her to the ground and blur her otherwise faultless vision.

How could she have been so stupid? She was so caught up in the rising momentum of being a Shinobi out in the field; she had believed herself to be as advanced as Neji. There was a good reason why she'd only _watched_ the two men in her life perform that Jutsu – it was still too difficult for her to perform.

Her Chakra phenomenally drained, Hanabi Hyuga – of a clan renowned for their air-tight defences, now lay helpless from a single blow. They all drew close, laughing as they did so, and Hanabi had only one wish left; she just wanted to go home.

"Oh boys!" A sultry voice echoed outside the cave, causing the six to turn.

There stood something they didn't expect to see. Two, yes two, completely naked women were giggling seductively, and beckoning them to come closer. Women wasn't the right way to describe these two, angels was a better word. Their ethereal beauty was such that clouds seemed to envelope them suggestively.

"Hehehe, why don't you leave the little girl there, and play with _these_!" They said in union bouncing up and down. Nose-bleeds could be found on the faces of each and every one of the men. Shuffling over to the two, drooling as they went, Hanabi looked on in total disbelief. If she were going to be saved by anything then, two naked girls wasn't what she had thought of.

As the men drew closer, one of the girls winked. They assumed it meant 'come and get me', but Hanabi saw it as a message to her – 'go and get them'.

"I wanna touch 'em!" One of the bandits slurred, reaching out to the first girl. In an instant her alluring expression changed.

"I don't think so, pervert!" She screamed, in an unusually boyish tone. Clenching her extended hand, she landed a haymaker on him that sent him into the wall. The other five jumped back in astonishment.

The other girl just laughed, "I cannot believe you just fell for that!"

The two looked at each other and nodded. A cloud of smoke puffed around them, and they instantly transformed into two Konohamaru.

"What! It's that kid!" One of them screeched. Before any of them could do anything, the two Genin Shinobi were throwing fists left, right and centre.

Retreating slightly, the three who were originally by the fire-place stopped as they heard a war-cry from behind them – they'd forgotten about Hanabi.

Leaping to the air, Hanabi kicked the middle one in the face, landing on top of him as the other two pounced on her. Before they made contact, she'd jumped again and spread her legs, kicking both to the ground.

"There," she laughed, "Without even using my hands."

She turned to see the two Konohamaru had made little work of the other three. After glancing around the cave, the three nodded in agreement, their opponents weren't getting up anytime soon.

One of the two Konohamaru vanished accordingly as the other and Hanabi drew close.

"A shadow clone? I'd have thought that was way beyond your level." She commented.

"No way! If the boss could learn it, then so could I!" He grinned.

Hanabi sighed; now wasn't the time to feed his ego with compliments.

"Come on, these guys will wake up soon. Let's get the stuff and go." She then went back into the cave, leaving Konohamaru dejected.

"Hey, you could say thank you or something!" He shouted.

"Why? You didn't thank me before. Anyway, I thought I told you to wait at the camp." She responded plainly, rummaging through the crate for travelling equipment.

"I couldn't without _my _travel gear. I came here to make sure it was returned safely," his stomach then growled, "Hehe, guess I'm hungry. Are _my _rations there?"

"This is no good, they've eaten your rations already – Hey! These leftovers and this sleeping bag...they're from the Compound!" She was scandalised.

Konohamaru gulped. His big mouth had put him in it again.

"That rucksack, I recognize that too! How did you get this?"

"Er, I, er..." He tried desperately to think of an excuse.

"This wasn't your stuff was it?" She asked bluntly. He shook his head.

"You got this from my maid didn't you, and the Kunai those guys used on me in the clearing, they were from this bag?" He nodded his head again.

"You were gonna use this stuff, knowing I'd be without the proper travel gear, weren't you?"

Konohamaru denied it, but had to admit the thought had crossed his mind.

"Whatever. Let's get out of here before these losers come to." Hanabi strolled past him, her arms full of various travelling gear.

Konohamaru noted she looked slightly upset, but it didn't seem to be at him. He quickly scanned the room before collecting some of her clothes before he followed.

* * *

It was a silent trip to the clearing Hanabi had decided to make camp in. He noted a poorly made tent, with a hole ripped through it and a hog sniffing around. At the sound of them, it fled; leaving her 'camp' in a tip.

"Brilliant." She sighed.

"Aww, come on! It's...not that bad." Konohamaru tried to joke.

She tossed the stuff she was holding to one side as she tried to tend to the timber she'd collected before she left.

"This is just perfect! My first mission and I get stuck with _him_! I've been delayed, had my stuff here wrecked, had my other stuff stolen and _he _say's 'it's not that bad'." She muttered to herself. Konohamaru heard her.

He opened his mouth to retort, but he couldn't. She was right. It was her first mission and the swelling sense of anticipation must've been killing her – he'd felt the same when he was out on his first mission, and he had Ebisu-Sensei to guide him and his friends. It was also his fault she had her stuff wrecked and stolen. In the end he decided to speak up.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself." He responded blandly. She turned to look at him, anger festering behind her clear eyes.

"It's just like you said, this is your first mission. Things were bound to be hectic even from the start. What's important is we've both got the stuff, we're both okay and tomorrow we can continue on to the Land of Vegetables. I don't see why you're so upset."

She paused before responding, "It's not really _you_ I'm upset with...I'm just..." She looked away as she said this, but it was clear she wasn't in the mood for remorse. Nevertheless, Konohamaru pushed further.

"Then who are-" He began.

"Everyone! I'm mad at everyone! My father, My family, Lady Hokage, Everyone!" she yelled.

"They always expect so much of me! 'Oh, Hanabi, one day you will lead our Clan' or 'Hanabi, You must Practice, you must not fail' – everyday I've had to push myself to the limits, because they won't accept anything but perfection from me. This mission...it was my chance to really show them...to really show myself I'm all they made me out to be." She felt her eyes burn slightly, if she didn't control herself, she'd be crying in no time.

Konohamaru just stared.

"I'm...sorry." He spoke sitting down opposite her, helping begin the fire.

"Don't be! I can handle it! It's just when things don't go right...It makes me feel like...like all that work was for nothing, you know?" She turned to him, as he lit the fire. Suddenly the clearing looked more radiant as the flames enlightened all around them. Konohamaru also noticed the cloudy sky had cleared, with the moon now shining down on them.

He even noted her eyes; they looked just like the moon, and how pretty it made her.

"Oh, what am I doing? I don't need to talk about this! I'm going to bed. You're watching out first." She turned away, feeling she'd given away too much. As she climbed into the tent, she heard Konohamaru call.

"What are we gonna do about the sleeping arrangements?"

"There's only one bed! So you'll sleep outside!" She answered.

"What! Why do I have to!" he retorted.

"A: It's _my_ tent and _my _sleeping bag, B: It's punishment for trying to use _my_ stuff and having me come rescue you, and C: Er…because… I'm a girl and you're a boy. Deal with it!"

Konohamaru blew a raspberry at the tent before poking the fire with a stick. He took it back; no one that annoying could be called 'pretty'.

* * *

Dropping into the ditch, the lifeless bodies of the two travelling lovers weren't the only victims of Root's aggression. Amongst the dead were three other men, one woman, and her six-year-old son.

The two ANBU stood silently over them, before turning away soundly and disappearing back into the trees. As they did so, one quickly threw his hand into the air, and clenched his fist. They both heard a squashing noise.

Opening his hand, he saw the remains of a flying insect.

"What was that?" His comrade asked, still walking.

"Nothing; just a maggot." The other replied. His comrade glanced at the palm.

"Maggots don't fly, you know." He responded, before the other turned.

"I wasn't talking about this insect, I was referring to the one that sent it," he turned to the trees, "Keep following us, worm, and you may get an even closer inspection of that ditch." He declared ominously.

Less than a hundred yards away, Shino flinched. Turning to Anko, he nodded to the slug resting on her shoulder.

"I'll inform the Hokage about the murders." Katsuyu stated.

"What good would it do? It's not like she can do anything given the situation." Anko hung her head in shame. She didn't care who did it, she just wanted this to be over, to be away from Root. Absently, she placed a hand to her neck, she had felt strange for days; something had changed.


	5. Chapter 5: Beyond the Border

As sunlight draped over the sleepy village of Konoha, some of its more active residents had already arisen to start with errands. Already the bustling ambience that filled the village day after day was growing while mothers busied themselves by getting their children ready for school.

Stores began to open and pedestrians walked the streets with an air of ease, as they beheld yet another clear day in the Village Hidden in the Leaves. At least, the sky was almost clear. More and more of Konoha's villagers were becoming aware of the increased population of avian that seemed to have decided to reside here.

Many of the people were becoming fascinated as to the unusual behaviour patterns of the birds; flying to and fro – with many claiming to see varieties of birds they'd never knew existed before. The Konoha Bird Watching Association felt as if they were having their own little festival as they marked down points for so many exotic and rare species of bird.

On older member of the association recognised that the birds were nesting behind the monuments of the Hokage; and deducted that so many species couldn't nest in the same area without annihilating each other over territory, unless they were tame. He was never privy to any of the ins and outs of the Shinobi that guarded this village, but he knew air travel was the fastest way they communicated.

"I'm guessing those hawks are from the land of Earth, you see the way their beak is bent?" He commented pointing to one of his friends as they gazed through their binoculars.

"You're right, there's no way birds like that would migrate here; it's too humid for them. And look, those vultures – I saw them when I travelled to a town in the land of Wind." His friend replied, equally astounded.

"You know, both those nations have ninja villages too. And I'm going to go out on a limb that all these other birds; they're from even more villages. I'm telling you, this isn't natural, and some of the guys here may be excited to see this many birds in one place, but I'm not." He sighed.

"Why is that?" His friend asked, still trying to catch glimpses of the flocks of birds entering the border.

"Because they're carrying messages to the Hokage, and I don't know if you've noticed since you're eyes are fixed to the sky but for the last day and a half, I've seen no headbands. All the ninja are gone."

His friend lowered his binoculars.

"You're right, I haven't seen any either." He mused.

"If those birds are messengers to the Hokage, and she's sent all our Shinobi out, then it means something bad is happening. People are calling these birds a pretty sight. I'm calling them an omen."

* * *

"Akatsuki! Akatsuki! Can't you say anything other than that!" Tsunade shrieked; her voice echoing around the village, even causing a local dog to awaken from his tranquil dream of bones.

Koharu and Homura stood resolute before their Hokage.

"We have already met with Danzo on the subject, and the manner of the assassination attempts points to ninja of the Akatsuki's calibre." Homura yelled.

"You're arrogance and ego are slowing you down Tsunade! The Akatsuki will be using these assassination attempts as a challenge. We must act now!" Koharu added.

Tsunade brought her hands to her recently mended desk, catching their attention.

"There is NO evidence they're behind this, got that? None of the targets are recorded as Jinjuriki nor are they sheltering any so there is no need for abduction, Each nation involved – even the Wind nation – has had little to do with Akatsuki cases of late so there is no cause for them to attack out of offence, and frankly speaking if any of _them_ had tried to assassinate the Feudal lords, all three would be dead long before anyone got a whiff of it!"

Tsunade's point was accurate on all accounts; Akatsuki just didn't play games like these, not with so much attention being drawn to them over recent months.

"How do we know they aren't just being employed by someone with a grudge against the Feudal lords in question?" Koharu asked sceptically.

"Grrr, I...Just...Said! Because they'd have got the job done! Whoever did this wasn't wearing a Red Cloud, let me tell you." Tsunade retorted.

"Actually...he was." came the calm and ominous voice of Danzo, stepping back into the office and carrying a scroll.

"W-what did you say?" Tsunade asked, taken back completely.

"I said he was wearing a trench coat fashioned by the Akatsuki. I have here a statement made by one of the guards in the Land of Vegetables; it says how the man was tall, wearing a coat bearing the Red Cloud, as well a straw hat. The guard engaged him but was incapacitated by his sword...wrapped in white bandages...ring any bells?" He asked, gloating in the air of victory over Tsunade.

"Hoshigaki! But, but, _why_? No offence to their guards but that would've been a massacre! Are they sure it wasn't someone fashioned on him? As far as villains go, that monster is pretty admired by opportunists -"

"No more excuses Tsunade! The evidence is right in your face! Your inability to act immediately has meant we may have lost a faint trail of finally catching those criminals. Send a letter immediately to the other villages! They must know of the culprit's identity!" Homura ordered.

Tsunade couldn't think straight. All past experience screamed at her that the Akatsuki weren't guilty of _this _crime, and if she didn't find a way of stopping these three war-mongers then the villages would be lured into incurring the Missing-Nins' wrath – and none of the five were fully capable to withstand that yet.

* * *

By midday, Konohamaru just couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on, say something." He yelled.

"..." Hanabi just stared straight as she walked.

"I said I was sorry about the sleeping bag, now say something!" He yelled again.

"...something." Hanabi responded plainly.

Konohamaru just growled, "Oh, ha-ha, so you can make jokes, huh?" He shot a venomous stare at her, but she didn't turn.

"I've been known to. Anyway, I'm trying to concentrate, and your noise is putting me off." Hanabi continued to stare ahead, and it was at this point that Konohamaru noticed she hadn't been blinking often.

"Err, what are you doing?" He asked.

Sighing, she finally turned, "If you must know I'm training. Neji nii-san told me about how he'd try and tell how many birds were in the sky through the use of his Byakugan. I'm doing the same thing."

"Well, now isn't the best time for you to be doing that, y'know," Konohamaru commented, looking up, "There's too many birds coming and going for you to really focus on them – unless you're giving up on paying attention to what's ahead of you."

Hanabi stopped, stunned by this criticism from a loser like him, "Err, _Excuse me_! Where'd you get the brains to judge how effective or not my training is?"

"Hey, Hey! easy there! All I'm saying is the messenger birds are still coming in flocks so you'll be spending most of your time trying to just find out how many there are, so you'll lose focus on the path ahead."

Hanabi was about to retort but just couldn't find the words.

"Grandpa always told me that you had to look forwards on your missions and that all your skills mean nothing if you don't put them to use."

"...your grandfather said that?" It was then that the reality of Konohamaru Sarutobi's lineage fully hit her; he may be act the street-urchin, but he must have a tome's worth of wisdom he'd heard from the Sandaime.

"And anyway, why train right now? You said that your family made you train for years. This mission is your first excuse for you to not train."

"Actually, it's the best time to train; father said -" She began.

"Who cares what your dad says? He isn't here, so there's no need to be so strict on yourself. Come on, the time will pass faster if we talk more. I mean, what do you do after you train?" His grandpa's wise words had taken her social defences away momentarily, now was the time to get her to open up.

"Err, well, I don't really know. I finish in the evenings and I usually clean myself up before having dinner. Depending on their duties, my sister and cousin may join us. I, well I do like to listen to their stories – all their missions. I can even recall Hinata's adventure in the Land of Vegetables, you know."

"Oh yeah? What happened?" Konohamaru urged.

"She, Naruto and another Shinobi called Choji were escorting a group of caravans – and wound up defending one of their clients, who was actually the daughter of the Feudal lord, and helping her ascent to her throne."

"You like it when they tell you these stories?" He asked.

"Yeah, it always felt like it was a goal, you know? I wanted to do the things those two did, and I would always imagine that I'd have adventures like that too."

"Well...you're on one now, aren't you? I mean we haven't even reached the border and we've already had our fair share of action." Konohamaru smiled.

Hanabi hadn't looked at it like that. When she heard her sister's and cousin's tales, she saw them as liberating experiences full of fun and action, despite what the cynical and oppressed side of her conscious told her. Now that her teammate had said this, she realised she was walking on the same path her siblings had before her. Why was she still so tense? This was her first chance to be herself.

Stunning Konohamaru in the process, Hanabi smiled back at him.

"I never looked at it that way, but you're right." She paused, "Well, what about you Konohamaru; what are your hobbies?"

"Me? Well, I don't know. I just do whatever I feel like doing at the time. I guess you could say competing with the boss is something I do a lot." He noticed the quizzed look on her face.

"I mean, I try and outdo him from time to time, you know? We're both gunning for the Hokage spot, and there's no way I'm letting him get it so easy!" He felt himself get fired up at the thought of beating Naruto.

"By boss, you're referring to that Genin Naruto again? Why do you call him 'boss'?"

"'Cause he's the one that taught me that being Hokage is something you have to earn; and that it doesn't matter what people think of you, as long as you believe in yourself." It was Konohamaru's turn to stare ahead, he didn't really know where to look as he said this; it felt like the anthem for all the great Shinobi that fell for the Leaf Village.

Hanabi didn't expect to hear this. Her opinion of Konohamaru had changed slightly. He wasn't some obnoxious failure whose ego was too big that he couldn't see how bad he was; she felt he was aware of his limits, but was going to try and break through them no matter what anyone said.

"And Naruto Uzumaki taught you this?" She enquired; that ninja didn't strike her as a good role-model – a point she had made all too clear on this mission already.

"Yeah, Boss is as determined as I am to get the respect of this village, and look how it's paid off. He's one of the coolest guys in Konoha now, taking on S-Class ninja, making new Jutsu and teaching me a thing or two too."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Hanabi asked with suspicion.

Konohamaru stopped walking and glanced around, as if he felt he was being watched.

"Oh come on! I can't see anyone, so there's no need to get all secretive. What did he teach you? And it better not be that perverse transformation." There was a tone of menace in her voice, but Konohamaru had no intention of using the Sexy Jutsu.

Konohamaru summoned a Shadow Clone.

"...Is that it? I already knew you could do that. Impressive for a Genin, but not enough to stop our walking like this." Hanabi went to turn away when Konohamaru told her to stop.

"I just need him to help me do it, that's all." With that he held out his arm, his hand open. With intense concentration, he focused on his palm as a blue light began to resonate before him. Hanabi stood back, this was interesting.

At this point the Shadow Clone began to rotate and pick at the shapeless light, at first she thought the clone a hindrance to the technique, but she soon saw he was giving it structure, he was maintaining the balance that the original Konohamaru was creating through his chakra.

Activating her Byakugan, Hanabi gasped as she saw the resonating levels of chakra the shape was holding; this ball he was forming was more powerful than anything she'd seen. Just as it began to expand, the light suddenly dimmed and the ball imploded into nothingness. Taken aback by the abrupt ending, Hanabi noted her comrade sigh and recall his clone.

"W-what happened? Where's the move?" She asked, full of interest.

"That's it for now. Boss calls it the Rasengan. It's a move made by the Fourth Hokage. Only he, Boss and the Sannin Jiraiya know it." He explained.

"Well why didn't you do it properly?" Hanabi felt cheated out of seeing a Jutsu used by a Hokage and Sannin.

"Because I haven't perfected it yet. Boss says it takes a lot of practice to control the shape of the chakra long enough for it to be used as an attack. But when you do, it's one of the best moves to have in your arsenal!" He held his chin up high.

"Huh, I guess you could say that _you_ should be the one doing more training then." Hanabi teased. Konohamaru's chin dropped as he shot a glare at her.

"No need to worry; I'll get the move perfected when the time comes, just you watch!" With that he marched ahead, with Hanabi running to catch up.

* * *

Dusk had arrived by the time the two travellers had reached the border of the Fire Nation. Glancing around, Konohamaru noticed it was too quiet.

"Hey, can you see any of them?" He asked.

"Yes. Fifteen in front of us, twelve behind and six to the left and right," Hanabi responded before stepping forwards and declaring loudly, "I am Hanabi, Kunoichi of the honourable Hyuga Clan that resides in the Village Hidden in the Leaves, and I ask you -"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's enough girl, we know who you are." Came a voice to the right, and from the bushes emerged Shikamaru Nara.

Stepping forwards, he was followed by Kakashi Hatake. Both Shinobi stood before the two for a moment before speaking again. Hanabi felt a little sheepish; she was in the presence of two renowned Ninja and had hoped to impress them with her credentials, yet both looked on unimpressed.

"You're late." Kakashi pointed out.

"W-we know, sir, but I'm innocent. You see Konohamaru Sarutobi here foolishly slowed the mission down by -"

"HEY!" Konohamaru shouted, feeling (rightly so) sold out.

"Keep it down!" Shikamaru ordered.

"I don't want to waste more time by hearing excuses from you, but I will say that there were two people assigned to this mission, for teamwork to _work_ you have to accept collective responsibility." Kakashi lectured. Konohamaru had been informed from the Boss that he was a real nagger for teamwork.

"We've been informed by the Hokage that the two of you are to go to the Land of Vegetables first. The village has already heard of a witness report on the assassins already, but we've a message from Lady Tsunade herself." Shikamaru produced a letter.

Konohamaru looked on in interest as Hanabi noticed the hidden ninja look away; plausible deniability. Clearly, the Chunin and Jonin before them were about to divulge in information she and Konohamaru weren't privy to – it excited her.

"The letter says that witnesses claim a man greatly resembling the Akatsuki member Kisame Hoshigaki was on the scene in the assassination attempt. Yet she – and us – are still a bit sceptical on the authenticity of this information."

"You think it was someone in disguise?" Konohamaru asked.

"Maybe; but that's for you two to find out. However, the trail of this assassin has been growing cold since virtually no ninja from the five villages are on this mission, and you're time wasting could mean you lose the trail altogether." Kakashi answered.

The two Genin nodded before the superiors, and felt as if enough was said and so went to go.

"On a personal note," Kakashi began, "My team was with Yamato during the assassinations; I haven't heard anything along the border that they were called back yet. If that's the case, it would be _greatly_ beneficial for you to get their help. Akatsuki or not, having them help you will surely speed up the investigation. Now get going."

The two nodded and set off. They faintly heard Shikamaru call; "Say hi to that idiot Naruto for me."

Hanabi laughed slightly as Konohamaru looked back in anger, but before he knew it, the two ninja were lost in the forest they just left behind.

Glancing around; Konohamaru and Hanabi saw lengthily savannas stretching across all directions (except of course behind them). Hanabi, having never left the border before hadn't fully prepared herself for this image. She felt slightly apprehensive; as if a leafy cloak of protection formed by the Konoha trees had be harshly taken away, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for it.

Turning to her companion she saw Konohamaru's eyes light up at the natural spectacle.

"You ready?" She asked; hoping that taking initiative in the face of the unknown was the best course of action to shake off this nagging sense of foreboding.

"You bet! Let's get moving! We may even find the Boss!" Konohamaru roared, before marching off, leaving her sighing and shaking her head.

"There you go with that 'Boss' talk again; it's like me calling Neji or Hinata 'Boss'" She laughed.

"Well, it is, isn't it? Maybe you should!" He mocked as she caught up.

Taking another look into the sky, the two took only little notice of another eagle fly from above into the distance. Gracefully it tore through the wind, casting a sharp shadow onto the ground below, allowing any man or beast to admire its majesty.

* * *

Within several hours the great eagle began its descent into the Land of Vegetables when disaster struck.

An apparition halted anymore progress, much to the bird's misfortune. Out of the very air it was travelling through a ghastly wave of demonic crows flew into ambush it. The great eagle fought the hell-birds with a fiery destination, but all effort was in vain when an ember of charcoal black flames enveloped it.

Falling as if a grain of ash, the bird crushed into the floor, with only a few charred remains visible; one of which was a now-shabby piece of scroll. Two figures approached the dead bird.

"I still don't see why we're going into this much trouble." A rough male voice called from the larger figure, as his partner bent down and retrieved the scroll.

Opening it, the man – clad in black – read through the message and then engulfed it in the same demonic fire that had killed the bird.

Turning to his tall comrade, the composed voice of Itachi Uchiha spoke.

"You'll thank me for going into this much trouble when you hear what I've just read."


	6. Chapter 6: Smells like Trouble

**hi again guys! I just want to say thanks to the reviews I've gotten for this :)**

**This took a while to write - I was constantly re-assessing the flow of the story in this chapter, but I'm pretty satisfied and sure you'll enjoy it!**

**Once more: Naruto isn't my creation, or all this would be manga and anime already, and i'd be rich :)**

Itachi had a habit of being a little too cryptic for Kisame's liking, so in times when his partner started speaking in riddles, Kisame just looked on and laughed.

"You know, sometimes it helps to just get to the point. It would've done you some good to take a leaf out of Sasori's book; he didn't dawdle with information. Now what did the scroll say?"

"You're a wanted man." Itachi responded coolly.

Kisame burst out into laughter again.

"And they said you're a genius! Are you just figuring that out now? I thought those eyes of yours were sharp on the uptake." He lifted his blade and began down the path they had momentarily strayed from.

"I mean, as of today you're a wanted man of the five nations." Itachi repeated.

"I have been for some time now Itachi. Now let's get going."

"You don't understand. According to that scroll you're _extensive _list of crimes now includes an assassination attempt on the Feudal Lord of the Greens Country."

Kisame halted, "The Land of Vegetables? I've walked through it in the past but I've no cause to do something like that...now." He brushed off the information as a mistake.

"I'm aware of that. However, this report states the assassin was a man clad in Akatsuki garments and wielding a sword resembling Samehada. You've an admirer, my friend." Itachi risked a coy smile.

"I don't mind others being inspired by my style, but you said assassination _attempt_. The amateur didn't manage to kill the Daimyo?" He asked.

"It seems not; the scroll mentioned asking witnesses within the Wind and Mountain nations if any other Akatsuki figures were present in the attempts. It was a multiple hit, and it appears none of the killers got their target." Itachi mused.

"So that's why the sky's got full of messenger birds, huh? It'll also explain why routes such as this are quieter than usual. All those ninja will be stuck on border patrol, considering how paranoid the Kages will be about the situation." Kisame's musing trailed off into Itachi's.

"But why go into the trouble of impersonating a known felon, surely it would be more beneficial for an assassin to be unremarkable in their appearance, leave no clues to their identify, you know?"

"Leader said nothing about hitting Feudal lords, as much of a fun challenge as it is. It's not our business." Kisame's tone expressed his boredom of the subject; he wished to continue on their path. Itachi was more interested in the subject.

"I don't think you can just brush this off. The Konohagakure scroll ordered you to be killed at all costs; the tone of the letter seemed more ruthless and final than what their Hokage usually orders. Whether or not you were there isn't important to the village, I'm guessing you just went to the top of their bingo book. This can only hinder our mission's success."

"Or help it." Kisame responded ominously, smiling like a killer.

"Do explain." Itachi ordered; walking alongside him, leaving the smoking remains of the scroll and eagle carrying it.

"If Leaf Shinobi are after me, there's every chance that the Kyuubi Jinjuriki Uzumaki will opt to hunt us; he knows you'll be with me. This could be a good chance for our target to hunt us."

"You're logic is commendable, but as I have stressed; the Nine-Tails comes last, on Leader's orders. I think it best to hurry and collect the Four-Tails." Itachi sighed.

"'Hurry up'! You're the one slowing us down with conspiracy theories." With that the two walked on for a few minutes before curiosity sunk into Kisame's mind. He turned to his partner. Itachi grinned again; he knew Kisame was too easy to read when it came to issues like this.

"Why do you think they impersonated me out of all the Akatsuki?" he asked.

"I don't know. I doubt it is out of honour. The culprit may have a grudge against you. And it doesn't help that you've history in this subject. I guess it's easier to brand you an assassin since that's what you are." Itachi explained.

"So someone is out to get me, but is getting Konoha to do the dirty-work, huh? Crafty, I guess, but tedious and cowardly. No matter, it may serve us well." Kisame smiled again, clutching the handle of his prized sword.

"Anyway, I'm hungry, let's get a move on and find some place to eat." Kisame complained.

"Huh, first you ridicule me for stalling as I mused over possible threats to our operation, then you wish to waste more time by requesting we stop and eat," Itachi responded elegantly, "why not eat the bird? It's well done."

"Hey I may look like a monster, but I'm still a cut better than eating like one. I'm in the mood for something spicy or bitter. We're stopping if we see anywhere that'll serve food." He sounded as if arguments were going to be pointless in stopping him. Itachi resigned himself to agreeing, and the two started down the road they were on.

They travelled on down the path, unaware that they'd cross paths with Konoha Shinobi sooner than they thought.

* * *

"Come on! I'm starving!" Konohamaru begged.

"I don't care! We haven't even been travelling for a day – we're late enough as it is without you stopping to fill your stomach." Hanabi nagged.

"But we'll be slower if I haven't got the energy to move! That means _you're_ making us late!" Konohamaru declared obnoxiously.

"What! You're blaming this on me now? It's not my fault if you're so hungry! And anyway, if you've got the energy to whine, then you've got the energy to keep moving." Hanabi's words seemed final. Had it been anyone else; the resolute tone of voice she inherited from her father would have been enough, but she didn't count on Konohamaru being ignorantly immune to such authority.

"But I'm Hungry!" He moaned, grabbing his audible stomach. The growl was magnificent.

"Yes...I can hear...unfortunately." She replied, gritting her teeth in agitation.

"Okay! It's decided! We stop at the next place serving food! Now Let's Go!" Konohamaru's burning passion for food had revitalised him, causing him to rush ahead; leaving a cringing Hanabi in his wake.

"Oh god! How do I keep this guy in check!" Hanabi moaned to herself before chasing after him.

Hanabi chased her comrade further down the road for what felt like an hour, until Konohamaru's seemingly unstoppable will of fire suddenly burnt out. Catching up to him, Hanabi composed herself, in the assumption that he'd given up his foolish chase for food.

"Well, I'm glad you're slowing down. Honestly, are really _that_ hungry?" She asked, but received no reply, apart from a finger on Konohamaru's hand pointing forwards. What he saw was a rickety old cart.

The cart, belonging to a deranged old man was packed to the brim with pickles. Hanabi was then struck with a sharp pain to the face; the stench from this cart was unbelieving! Gripping onto her precious nose for dear life, Hanabi began to wretch at the mere thought of going closer to the cart. Turning green and facing her partner, intense horror flooded through her body as Konohamaru stepped forwards, a look of dazzling desire radiating from his face.

"Hey! Hey! Old man!" He cried, dashing forwards to the cart.

Hanabi swore she could see a hazy stench coming from the cart; it was possible, considering her eyesight and the level of fumes resonating from it.

"Gimme some of those pickles! I love pickles!" Konohamaru had reached his goal, and danced around the spot. Hanabi likened him to a child – though she had to admit the two of them where still kids. His carefree persona wasn't what she would have recommended a person have for their line of work, but it intrigued her slightly.

A distraction stopped her thinking, when Hanabi noticed two other figures approaching on the road.

Turning slightly so her vision could identify them, she suddenly regretted her senses pulling her from her thoughts – things were more pleasant before these two arrived.

If the cart stunk badly for Hanabi, the chakra levels from these two were profoundly more demonic.

"Konohamaru...let's go..." She called, placing emphasis on them departing. Her comrade didn't listen.

"Aha, come on now dear. Let your little boyfriend have some pickles, have some yourself!" The old man beckoned sweetly. Had it not been for the arrival of the two men, she would've been polite enough to decline respectfully.

"I...I hate pickles, okay! And this guy smells! Now come on!" She shouted, hastening to march off. This rattled Konohamaru.

"Hey! There's no need to be so rude about it! Say sorry!" He yelled. Hanabi cursed under her breath. The two men were well within hearing distance now. There'd be no way the two could leave before the strangers got a good look at them.

"My, my! Your sweetheart is a little temptress, isn't she?" the old man laughed off the remark, and turned to see he had two more customers. Four already; today was a good day.

"And what can I get you two gentlemen?" He asked, not noticing the size and stature of his two customers. Konohamaru was too busy chewing down on his pickles to notice.

"How much do we get for this?" The taller man asked, producing a pouch full of gold. The old man faltered, that would be enough for three carts. However, as senile as the old man was on some things (his son's marriage, his constant run-ins with death etc) he was well aware of 'suckers' when he saw them.

"Err, that would get you two bags full of these delicious pickles." He grinned.

"...he's ripping you off, no deal." The shorter and slimmer man said blatantly.

Peering into the eyes of this man from beneath the straw hat he was wearing, the old man felt a cold stare and pondered whether men could really have red irises.

"H-hey! Now there'll be no talk of ripping off or conning here! I'll give you three bags."

"Six." The man responded.

"Four." The old man came back.

"The Wagon!" The larger one joined in. He seemed to have taken his comrades advice on board and any slight sympathy he had for the old man had vanished.

"I don't think so." The old man waved off the statement. It was at this point that Konohamaru turned. He sincerely wished the old man wouldn't insist on haggling with _this _man; his sword was enormous.

"Err, err, Hanabi!" He called, seeing his friend sheepishly scurry over to the wagon.

"You can't have my wagon you hooligans! This young couple are having their fill first." The old man declared.

"Oh, is that so?" The taller one spoke, looking down on the two 'lovebirds'.

"Do they look familiar to you?" He asked his comrade.

"The girl...her eyes..." The smaller one began.

_Oh No_! Hanabi thought, if she didn't find a way to distract these two men quick, she'd be identified as a Hyuga. If he knew her family, he was a part of the ninja world, which at this time was only bad news.

"Err, great pickles sir!" She gleefully commented, taking one and eating it furiously.

"I thought you said you hated them-" Konohamaru interrupted.

"Shut up!" She whispered violently, stomping on his foot.

"Huh. Don't look like a couple, do they Itachi?" The taller one spoke.

The terror that Hanabi first felt had materialised as if a satanic force had slower wrapped its twisted claws around the two of them; with the intention of bringing them into the reaches of hell. There it was. Hanabi put together the rest in an instant; the cloaks, the red clouds, the straw hats, the money – Akatsuki. They _had_ just stepped into hell.

Itachi - of the Uchiha Clan. The children at the academy used to tell horror stories about him. A lot of the facts about the Uchiha massacre was blurred by the time these young ears had heard the story. People of the village ranked Itachi as horrific as Orochimaru – if not more.

Daring to glance at her friend, she noticed Konohamaru was smart enough to also feel the gravity of their situation. These two had so far not examined the Genin close enough to recognise the Konoha symbol on their bands. But if they didn't manage to keep it that way, they'd be liable to death from one of the Leaf village's 'boogie men'.

"Say child, let me take a look at your eyes." The words lingered in the air; his tranquil voice ringing as if bells were tolling for Hanabi's doom.

"Um, um-" She began before a pair of lips crashed into hers. The rest felt like a blur. Was Konohamaru kissing her?

She kept enough of her senses to hear Itachi's large friend groan in discomfort.

"Have you ever seen a more sickening image?" He asked Itachi.

"Once...in the Land of Birds; Zetsu, he was as hungry as you, he had this child up against a wall..." Itachi responded.

Hanabi couldn't believe it. The two Akatsuki began having a conversation. Focusing on the 'kiss' she fought every part of her body not to wretch at the smell of pickles swirling around both mouths – though Konohamaru was the worst offender since he'd eaten far more of them.

Breaking for _fresh_ air, Konohamaru turned to Itachi without breaking a sweat and said; "sorry pal, you say something to my girlfriend?" With a cocky grin.

Silence ensued.

"...I've had enough. Kisame, give the man the money and let's go." Itachi finally spoke.

"Huh, fine. Here. Four bags!" Kisame demanded. The old man indignantly gave him his pickles and the two Akatsuki began to depart.

Hanabi's head was swirling. She wasn't sure if it was of the situation they were just in, the stench of the cart, or Konohamaru kissing her, but she was swirling.

Konohamaru turned to her and giggled. "Ha-ha, sorry about that! But I needed to distract them and they already thought we were an item, so..."

Hanabi just waved off his apology. "I-it's doesn't matter, it worked, okay, it worked. Oh, god, I think I'm gonna throw up!" She cupped her hand to her mouth and retched. Konohamaru looked offended.

"Well, hey! You now I'm right here! You weren't all that special either you know! You could've _tried_ to make it believable, but you thought it would be better to sit there comatose!" He shouted.

* * *

Across the way, Kisame and Itachi were in hushed conversation.

"Why are you letting those Konoha Genin go? The girl's a Hyuga; I'd stake my sword on it!" Kisame remarked.

"I know. And that boy, there's something about his facial structure that tells me he's related to Hiruzen and Asuma Sarutobi. But, they're no concern to us, unless you feel threatened by a couple of shaking Genin?" Itachi had a tone of mockery in his voice.

Kisame gave a hearty laugh. "I guess not. And we've got the food. Besides, I don't think the two are here for us anyway." With that the Akatsuki headed to leave, leaving the two Genin utterly confounded at how much luck they had been bestowed.

"That…could have been _so_ bad…you squared up to Itachi Uchiha!" Hanabi's illness had gone, and the horror at imagining her friend face the monstrous Itachi invaded her thoughts, "What were you thinking!"

"I don't know! I just did what came to mind. What are you so worried about?" Konohamaru asked.

"Err, nothing! I just thought it was a bit reckless, that's all." Hanabi crossed her arms and looked away in annoyance.

Just then, the four ninja were made blatantly aware of a new presence in the area. Coming over a nearby hilltop the four were quick to spot several Shinobi arm themselves and thrust Kunai at the Akatsuki.

Hanabi could not comprehend exactly how the two parried the array of weapons, but in an instant the ground beneath Itachi and Kisame was coated in broken Kunai.

"The kids were decoys?" Kisame shouted, brandishing Samehada. Konohamaru wasn't paying attention to that however; the offending ninja had now revealed themselves. He couldn't believe it. They were Konoha Shinobi – seven of them, to be exact.

"W-what! Leaf Ninja? Here?" He screamed, as the Shinobi charged head on. Despite his initial surprise at their arrival, his second thought was only of sympathy for his allies; even he knew a straight attack against these two was suicide, nothing more.

"A frontal attack? Now where's the fun in that?" Kisame screamed as he threw his mighty sword onto his shoulder and paced forwards.

"Konohamaru! We have to do something! They're gonna get killed!" Hanabi cried, grabbing him. He wished he could help, but what could he do? He couldn't even beat those bandits by himself, now she expected him to help these amateurs take on the Akatsuki. He couldn't. As if paralysis had seized his body, all Konohamaru could do was watch, and pray.

He felt so helpless; like when he was in the clearing, tied up as bait – for all his boasting and declarations, he was still just a child, unable to do anything. Hanabi stared into his fear-stricken eyes for a moment and groaned in disappointment.

"Come on, Konohamaru! We have to do _something_!" She screamed.

"Like What! All I've got is my stupid sexy Jutsu, and I remember you're big 'awesome' cousin couldn't match that shark-guy when they met! It's hopeless!" He cried, assuming the foetal position behind the cart. Hanabi looked at him with disgust before she saw one of the ninja being tossed in their direction via Kisame's brutish strength. The target; the now shaking old man (who was _fully_ aware of this situation), Hanabi decided to take matters into her own hands.

Leaping to the old man's aide, she managed to drag him to the ground as the body smashed into his cart, raining down pickles as the monstrous battle played out. As Hanabi rose from the ground, she noticed the old man was now unconscious – probably for the best. Turning her attention to the Sharingan wielding ninja, Hanabi saw three of the ninja collapse onto the floor in a state of shock – what did he do to them?

She couldn't ponder on this any further as she saw only two of the ninja were still standing, after one fell to Kisame's blade.

The two Konoha Shinobi stood resolute before the Akatsuki, though she saw an expressionless face plastered onto each of them. Did they have no fear?

"Kisame, by order of the Hokage, you are to be slain on sight, you monster!" One called out, in a rather wooden manner.

"Hahaha! 'Monster'? Flattery will get you nowhere, fellas!" Kisame retorted. Today was a good day; first he got some food, and now he's got some heads for his collection.

"Kisame…something is the matter." Itachi interrupted, but his words fell on deaf ears, save Hanabi's. She too thought something didn't add up in this situation, and on closer inspection of the passive ninjas' faces she thought they were very familiar. Had she passed these fool-hearty men in the village once? Or maybe they were amongst the ninja with Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru at the border. Had the two had so little faith in hers and Konohamaru's abilities that they immediately sent backup?

"Let's end this!" Kisame cried, dashing forwards.

"Even if you strike us down, you demon, the might and wrath of Konohagakure will bear down upon you. You cannot win." The second Konoha Shinobi stated, in an almost obnoxious tone.

"Oh, that is it! You die first!" Kisame yelled; beheading the man, as his comrade only looked on. Hanabi was confused as to why he didn't flee (and why she and Konohamaru didn't do the same, for that matter) or even react to his impending doom, like he was actually waiting for the final blow.

He didn't wait long. Within a moment of his comrade's head hitting the floor, his had accompanied it. Kisame smiled in a deranged manner as he admired his handiwork, before turning to his partner.

"Sorry, Itachi. Did you say something?" He asked, carrying his sword over his shoulder.

"I was saying, these men weren't entirely themselves. When placing them under Tsukuyomi -" He began.

"What! You wasted your chakra to use a technique that powerful on these guys!" Kisame intervened.

"_When_ placing them under Tsukuyomi, I couldn't help but feel another Genjutsu already in use over these men."

"…whatever, like that's important." He paced over to the head of the obnoxious ninja and frowned.

"This guy pissed me off, big time. Right! Change of plan! If the Hidden Leaf wants us so bad, then I say we let them have their way!" He roared.

"Kisame -" Itachi began.

"Don't try and talk me out of this Itachi! I'm no moron; I know Leader wouldn't approve of this, but if we…let's say landed the Kyuubi in the process, then it would be a siege worth trying for. We've slipped into their land once before." Kisame's plan was sprouting many paths the Mist ninja could take; he didn't care how he did it, but he wanted more blood from that arrogant nation.

"This is reckless!" Itachi shouted, revealing a rare moment where Hanabi saw something in his eyes; not a change in technique, but a change in persona. Had she not been aware of who they belonged to, she would have sworn they had revealed a deep fear within Itachi.

"Don't try and wave this off! We find the bird with my death-sentence on it!" Kisame began.

"The same bird and death sentence you were all too eager to ignore!" Itachi retorted, his composure established after his outburst, yet still carrying a demonic air of threat.

"And now they're sending ninja out in parties of seven to reel me in. If you ask me, ignoring all this will only slow our progress down. We've got to deal with this situation before we move on."

"There is a good reason why neither of us are in charge with the plans in this organisation; because it would break down the structure of the Akatsuki's final goals! You know this! We have evaded the greatest Shinobi the five nations could muster for over _seven_ years! Leagues of ninja have fallen to our exclusive band! And do you know why, my reckless friend? Because we stick to the plan!"

Kisame just stared on; Itachi's words weren't hitting the mark.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with…other issues, would it?" The mist ninja finally spoke.

"…what?" Itachi was taken aback by his partner's sudden attack on his own ambitions.

"Well, you seem to be very peculiar when it comes to your homeland, with or without Sasuke there. This behaviour you're showing makes me wonder just how loyal you truly are to our organisation." Kisame pondered out loud, never once breaking eye contact with Itachi. It was as if we was asking for the Uchiha to activate his Genjutsu. Itachi didn't show it, but he was beginning to feel trapped.

"Those are bold words from a man willing to break the rules of his precious organisation. Just how loyal are _you_?" Itachi knew he was being foolish, but Kisame's words had struck closer to his heart than anyone could have realised. He was panicking; he admitted Kisame was right about more Leaf Shinobi coming after them, but that only enforced the idea of _avoiding _them, plus his comrade's behaviour was becoming more and more ruthless. He was answering to Itachi less and less of late.

These reasons, coupled with the fact Itachi's withering conditions meant the difference in his and the Mist ninja's skills were now in disrepute. If he didn't talk Kisame down from his mantle, he'd be forced to knock him down – if he even could anymore.

By the wrecked cart, Hanabi didn't dare breathe unless she would risk catching the men's attention as Konohamaru covered his ears with hands, if he didn't hear or see them, maybe they'd go away.

"Well, let's put your loyalty to a test; ever since your clan's massacre I'd say you're due a new one." With a flash Kisame appeared behind Hanabi. She saw the whole thing, but was too slow to react.

Lifting her up by her neck, Kisame laughed at how helpless the frightened girl.

"Okay _Senpai_! We've got a wriggling little Konoha rat here, now kill her." He spoke plainly.

"…this is pathetic." Itachi responded.

"No! She is pathetic! Her little boyfriend – cowering over here, he's pathetic. And you, you're looking a tad pathetic -"

"Kisame! Put…that girl…down!" Itachi's voice echoed around the hills. He'd stepped forwards.

"…why?" The mist ninja wasn't afraid in the slightest.

"Because I said so. You work _under_ me! You walk where I tell you, you bark when I tell you, you shit when I tell you! because you are _inferior_ to me and my skills. I do believe I am due a test of loyalty to the Akatsuki…by dealing with insubordination from its more moronic members!"

Kisame dropped Hanabi, and lifted his sword.

"Okay then. If truth be told, I've thought about this for a while…partner."

The two men began pacing to one another, as Hanabi and Konohamaru watched in total fear. As the sun hit high into noon, the two missing-nin clashed.

**Well? How was that? A bit longer than I expected, but I needed to build up the fight for the next chapter. As always, It'll be much appreciated if you reveiw what you've read. I'll do my best to get back to you, and as always, keep on reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Eye of the Storm

**Hello my fellow Naruto-freaks! This is another chapter that took a few drafts until I got it right, hope you enjoy! And can I also say I'm getting a lot of hits for this story, but not a lot of reviews :( Come on people! I know you can do better than that! Regardless, time to sit back and read a good old-fashioned ninja brawl**

**To those of you who don't know, I'm actually just a fan and have no ownership over the Naruto series whatsover...I know...shocking, isn't it?**

To those unfortunate enough to enter within the visible plain of the battlefield, a sensation of the uncanny would course through their minds. What a spectacle to behold! All sense of logic would be fleeting in the ethereal display of energy that was being exhibited by unidentifiable forces.

To the untrained eye, a wave of scorching flames would invade all space across the hills, shrieks of pain echoing from the planet itself as the onslaught of fire purged the land beneath it. While monstrous roars of anger rushed through the land, savage geysers of water assaulted the sweeping flames.

To the untrained eye, the cataclysmic terror that would befall both senses of sight and sound were but the start of what would become horror beyond reckoning. Such was the drastic change in climate for the immediate area that nature itself was not one for hosting such a contest of strength. The ground beneath the forces of fire and water became repeatedly scorched, soaked, burned and softened within mere seconds, until the point where one subject would have to break in this cycle.

Said subject was the land. Erupting cries of rage where distinguishable from the now crumbling ground, as wildlife from afar where torn between base instincts and a sense of purpose; to watch the spectacle that had been laid for all to see – if any could indeed identify any visible force now that the thick clouds of smoke and wispy steam compounded with what was most certainly a demonic mist.

To the untrained eye, a storm of hatred and blood-lust had occupied a section of the hills, and was ready to expand. Quakes shuttered beneath the fragile crust of the world as far of the forests of the Fire Nation miles behind, and even quietened the raging storms of sand that surrounded Sunagakure.

To the untrained eye, it was a demonstration of the apocalypse. But Hanabi Hyuga wasn't untrained in eye-sight – it was her greatest asset as a ninja. From within the eye of the storm, Hanabi and the other 'spectators' were fortunate enough to still be situated on land that had yet been punished by these monstrous titans.

She had not taken her eyes off of the fight the entire time – how could she? As a member of the Hyuga Clan, Hanabi's level of knowledge and experience when it came to Jutsu was primarily linked with the Byakugan. She had always been informed of more theatrical displays of chakra manipulation, she was even aware of the properties and traits that went with each person's nature manipulation. At least, she thought she knew.

For someone with such clear eyesight, Hanabi accepted she had her eyes in the mud for a long time. Never would she comprehend a ninja battle could be so…visible. To her, what was beyond the naked eyesight was what always counted; a ninja should be quick, precise, and draw as little attention to them as possible. But what these two were displaying was on the opposite side of the spectrum. They didn't care who watched…because they knew no other Shinobi would even _dare_ to _think_ of crossing their paths at this stage. Hanabi thought she knew what power was…now she knew how wrong she was.

Suddenly a dreary silence consumed the land and humidity and heat from the flames began to take its toll on her other senses. Unbeknownst to her conscious she gripped the nearest thing to her, not once taking her eyes of the two she was watching. The thing she had gripped was Konohamaru's arm, still covering his head as he shivered in fear.

With the landscape still crumbling, Hanabi managed to catch audible breath inhaling and exhaling. It was the Mist ninja's – Kisame.

"Ah, y-you, ah, y-you little…w-coughweasel!" He managed to shout.

"What's wrong Kisame? It seems a little ironic for a shark to be out of _breath_, don't you think?" Was a callous reply deep within the fog of war the two missing-nin had created.

Hanabi could barely make out Itachi's figure, but his voice said it all. Unlike the dishevelled Kisame, Itachi was displaying no signs of fatigue, weakness or urge to surrender.

"Take your time, my friend. Sit down, have a drink." Gestured the voice as Kisame continued to grunt. Gazing at his sword, he'd yet to make any physical contact, and Itachi's continuous distance allowed him to maintain much of his own chakra. This was getting him nowhere.

"What would you like? Soda? Oh, what am I saying? You're a fish, have some water." Laughed Itachi, still within the fog.

"SHUT UP!" Roared Kisame lunging into the abyss before him.

Hanabi gasped at how stupid the Mist ninja could be; surely he knew that he was just being provoked into a trap.

"A little steamed up Kisame? How about some tea then? I'll _boil_ it for you!" Was the rising cry from within the fog. Kisame could only get close before he and Hanabi saw what appeared to be the gates of hell opening, as flames as black as onyx tore through the landscape and enveloped their aquatic target.

"…this has become boring." Spoke Itachi's deranged remark in between Kisame's screams of anguish.

With each ear-piercing cry, Konohamaru couldn't even begin to contemplate what the man was going through. He would never admit it, but he felt his own mortality slipping from him as quickly as Kisame must have been. He never got to see Moegi and Udon again. He never got to tell them how important they were. He never looked up at the Hokage monuments one last time – never got to etch his face alongside theirs.

It was then that his grandfather's face flooded his mind. He'd never managed to say goodbye to him. He remembered crying so hard, how he had hated him in life and despaired over his passing. The insecurity that bellied his boisterous claims etched away at him during grandpa's passing, and intensified when Lady Hokage took command.

It was then that he also remembered who is grandfather was. Clutching at him in the rain, pleading with every ounce of strength in him not to leave for combat, Konohamaru learnt a lesson from Hiruzen Sarutobi that day. He fought, because he was the Hokage. He fought for the Leaf village. He fought for his family. His family made him strong.

Without realising it, his hands had slipped from the grip he had on his grandfather, and at the same time, he felt Hanabi's grip on his arm tighten, forcing him to finally open his eyes.

Konohamaru turned to see the torture before him. Itachi felt safe enough to walk out from the mist and to the crouching figure of his 'comrade', assuming victory. He was very wrong indeed.

"Hey…may need to get those eyes examined…" whispered the steaming body of Kisame as it dematerialised into liquid and dispersed across the ground as Itachi strained to turn before he heard it.

"…because I was behind you the whole time!" Another cry sliced through the silence. This time Itachi's. There was no time to dodge; a broad swing of Samehada had been enough to slice down the back of Itachi, shredding the skin as it did so. Crumbling like the ground beneath him, Itachi's only thought of condolence was that the attack had missed his spine. Turning as he fell, Itachi had produced shuriken and threw several to Kisame's face.

Lifting Samehada to block it, Kisame's rage had gotten the better of him.

"Damn!" He roared, as he glanced around, confirming his assumption that Itachi had used the second of invisibility behind Kisame's sword to again hide.

"Clones will do you no good, my friend. And on the subject of eyes, vision is only useful when you _use_ it, rather than hiding behind that sword of yours."

"Again with the mocking! Your tongue is sharper than Orochimaru's when you want it to be!" Kisame composed himself by lifting his sword and carrying it on his shoulder.

"Hanabi!" Whispered a voice behind Hanabi.

Turning, she was half-surprised to see her partner had finally steeled himself to move. She was fully surprised however, when the arm he was gripping moved and his hand gripped her.

"Come on, these two don't care about us anymore. We've got to get us and the pickle-guy out of here!" He drastically urged.

"We can't! If we move, they'll see us, and they're both in a blood-thirsty mood already!" Hanabi turned back to see the fight.

"Hey! This isn't a show! We shouldn't be here! Come on and let's go!" He pulled her arm, causing her to tumble off balance. As she fell, he reached down and grabbed her shoulder. They were mere inches apart. Looking into her pearl-like eyes, he saw fear – yet he couldn't distinguish if it was hers, or the reflection of his. Nevertheless, he knew that the bravest thing he could do right now was to get as many people away from disaster as he could.

Hanabi wasn't all too prepared to follow suit. She wasn't even sure why; on one hand she felt totally insignificant next to the two colossal monsters before her, yet the awesome power they displayed compelled her to continue to watch. Not at all like the mundane arts of combat her father had employed, but more expressive, emotion incarnate. She wished she could do it too.

"Move it!" Konohamaru now shouted. He was right about the two not paying attention to them anymore. Clangs of weapons and the odd burst of flames were all he could see within the mist. Lifting her up from the crooked ground, Konohamaru had to drag her from the fight.

"Let go of me you idiot!" She shouted slapping him across the face.

"Ow! Idiot! You're the one that wants to stick around and be the desserts for whoever wins!" Konohamaru squared up to his partner, growling in a menacing manner.

Hanabi didn't back down for a moment, until her wild obsession with the fight subsided, and the sight of the elderly man awoke her responsibility.

"…Okay! We've got to move, now!" She nodded, running over and lifting him up on her shoulder, as Konohamaru also bore him.

Dragging him down the path away from the fight, Hanabi frequently turned – stating it was to ensure neither Akatsuki member persuaded, but in actuality it was so she managed to witness more images of elemental power.

Within minutes, the air became lighter and the two stopped to see the hill behind them was still shaking.

"If they keep that up any longer, that hill will erupt!" Konohamaru exclaimed turning and starting down the path.

"…yeah." Hanabi was still dazed from the battle and was slow on any response she gave to Konohamaru.

Within the smog of battle, Itachi halted in his assault long enough to note the retreat of the Genin and smirked.

"I've got a surprise for you, my friend…" He began, moving in the blink of an eye to his comrade's side, well within his eye-line.

"…it's called…Tsukuyomi!"

* * *

Dusk was fast approaching before the two Genin and their unconscious friend arrived at a small town. Gasping for breath, Konohamaru hadn't given himself a moment's rest since the fight he escaped from hours before.

Looking over at Hanabi, he noticed she too was feeling the strain of that encounter. Poor girl. That Mist ninja had threatened _her_, and he just sat there too petrified to do anything about it. He felt so ashamed at how late he was to react to the situation. He knew they were both ninja, but somehow he felt responsible – after all, this was her first real mission, and he couldn't help but feel it would be a lot smoother for her if he wasn't here.

"Hey, we can drop him off in that place." Hanabi's directions snapped him from his thoughts.

Nodding, Konohamaru noted that regardless of his contributions (or lack of) he _was_ here and he'd be damned if he was gonna leave the mission now. Aiding Hanabi in carrying the man to the inn she had spotted, Konohamaru breathed a sigh of relief when they finally entered, much to the surprise of the elderly manager and her daughter.

"W-what is this!" She exclaimed seeing the two youngsters carrying the unconscious man.

"Please, we need to give him shelter. His cart was attacked by some bandits!" Konohamaru declared, opting to cover up the information that Akatsuki were operating in the area.

At the mention of bandits, Hanabi took a sharp inhale, only noticed by Konohamaru – the two women already moving across the room to help the old man.

Hanabi turned to Konohamaru and mouthed the words 'we need to talk'. She then threw on a face of modesty and concern as she confirmed Konohamaru's story, stating the two were simply passing by and found him, and that they thought his injuries were only minor.

"Don't worry, the town's doctor only lives a few doors down – we'll have him take a look at the poor man. Feel free to stay here for the night -" She was cut off by a groan from the old man.

"Thank…you…" He groaned, rubbing his forehead and struggling to stand.

"Please, sir, you need to rest." The daughter cried, walking the man to a chair.

"m-my cart…that was my livelihood…what happened to my cart?" He asked the two ninja.

"…it got smashed, sorry…" Hanabi confessed timidly.

He sighed and looked down, the daughter and the innkeeper comforting him.

Hanabi took this opportunity to turn towards Konohamaru again. Konohamaru nodded and led her out the inn.

"Where are they going?" The daughter asked.

"They probably want some time alone, young love…" the old man sighed.

* * *

Beyond the town borders, Hanabi felt a large tree was the best spot for the discussion. The two leapt up onto the branches.

"What is it? And why do we need to come all the way up here?" He asked, noticing Hanabi's choice in location had a lot to do with her being able to apply her Byakugan powers to the fullest.

"You're looking out to see if that Itachi and the shark-man will turn up?" He asked, suddenly going tense.

"…they're definitely a threat…say either of them survive that, there's good chance they'll want to silence us…but when it comes to being followed, I'm more concerned with someone else." She spoke ominously, not once stopping her survey of the land.

"Huh? Who?" He asked, taken aback by this new mystery threat.

"…I don't know, I only figured it out when you mentioned bandits." She confessed, and was also willing to look at Konohamaru this time. Upon reading his blank face she decided to continue.

"Those Hidden Leaf ninja, I take it you didn't notice anything about them?" She asked, a small grin etched at the corner of her mouth. Konohamaru looked away and frowned, it was bad enough that he chickened out back there, now queen Hyuga-Almighty was gonna hold that over him for a long time.

"Well anyway, I did – and so did that Uchiha guy."

"Well, I'm sorry I'm not a part of your 'magic eye' club, so why don't you explain." Konohamaru snapped.

Deciding to let that slip, Hanabi continued.

"He said they were under a Genjutsu before the fight broke out, right? Who put them under that? I also noticed how…weak they were. If they were real Konoha Shinobi then they'd have show a lot more skill than that. The last two seemed to just wait for death, mocking that swordsman to kill them…as if they wanted it."

Konohamaru was frowning again now, but more out of concern as to where this was heading.

"I also recognized their faces, but at the time I wasn't sure where from – I just assumed that since we're of the same village, I would have seen them in passing, but that's not it."

"Then, who where they?" Konohamaru asked, feeling impatient by all this dancing around the subject.

"They were those guys that attacked us in the Fire Nation." She declared, again looking out into the distance.

"…what!" Konohamaru cried.

"Yep, when you mentioned bandits, it made me think back. There's no doubt, those guys in Konoha clothes were the same ones that held you hostage."

"But then, how -"

"I don't know what happened," Answered Hanabi, shaking her head, "The Genjutsu placed over them obviously made them act like Konoha Shinobi, but the caster must have known he was sending them to the slaughter. Who put it on them? And why go after those two?"

The two mused for a moment. Then Konohamaru had a brain surge.

"One of them was Kisame right? He'd the suspect for the assassination attempt."

"So?" Hanabi asked in a derogatory manner, she knew that much already.

"Well…what if they were put under a Genjutsu, so as to wind him up." He suggested.

"Hehe, I don't think someone would go through all that trouble only to annoy _him_…I mean, get him mad enough and he'll trash the entire place…" Hanabi trailed off as she came to the same conclusion Konohamaru had.

"Wait…you don't think…the caster wanted him to think Leaf ninja were hunting him…so as to make him take on the Leaf Village?" She asked.

"That's what I heard him say afterwards 'If the Hidden Leaf wants us so bad, then I say we let them have their way'. Do you think there's any chance the culprit may have something to do with the assassination attempts? He could be making those two attack our ninja so as to make a diversion before he get's our Feudal lord." Konohamaru began hypothesising.

"…no. Firstly, we don't know if it's a _he_; statistics prove women are generally more proficient in Genjutsu." Hanabi retorted smugly.

"You're just trying to wind me up, aren't ya?" Konohamaru growled to the unflinching girl.

"Secondly! The culprit has to be someone within the Fire Nation. Those guys were either still beaten up by me -"

"By _us_!" Konohamaru interrupted.

"- or they were apprehended by Konoha. With the border patrol being so tight, there's no way the culprit would slip in and out of our lines without detection."

Konohamaru frowned again. Who was it then?

"Regardless…right now all we know is that there is someone trying to start a fight between our village and the Akatsuki, and if that Mist ninja wins the fight we left, they may just get their wish." Hanabi sighed ominously.

* * *

Staggering gasps were all that filled the air around the battlefield. In unison, the two Missing-nin collapsed.

Itachi lifted his head with extreme levels of pain, revealing dark crimson lines running down from his eyes. Looking back at him was the shaken face of Kisame.

"To think…I used that for three hours…and I thought Kakashi was strong-willed…" He sighed.

"Hahaha…You're…obviously losing your touch…I could take that all…over again…" bragged Kisame, using Samehada as a stand to help him off the ground.

"The problem with you…is that you always use that trick…on guys less deranged than yourself…the history in my head is more twisted than any torture you can imagine up Itachi…" Kisame was now slowly making his way over to his partner.

"Shut up and burn!" Itachi shouted, casting more flames to engulf his comrade.

Kisame's screams were this time genuine. True he was sturdier than either Hatake or Itachi's younger brother, but three natural hours inside Itachi's Genjutsu _had_ had its toll on his will-power. This attack just compounded the pain he was already under.

"…as entertaining as this is, I've got to tell you guys that enough is enough." spoke another voice that startled the two.

Glancing over what was originally unturned land; now stud the Akatsuki's own personal Venus fly-trap.

"Z-Zetsu…" Itachi stammered.

"How long have you been there?" Kisame gasped, not noticing the flames dying away.

"About an hour. I thought about waking the two of you, but I have to admit I don't know what might've happened to your minds if I did so." He grinned.

"…What do you want?" Itachi groaned, finally managing to stand himself up.

"Leader has heard rumours along the grapevine – about Kisame trying and failing to knock over a land's Feudal lord. He wanted me to investigate. I come along this way and here you two are, kicking the shit out of each other both in the physical and mental plain. You mind telling me what you both were thinking?"

"Hey, who made _you _boss, messenger boy? I don't answer to you!" Kisame snapped.

"No, _you_ don't seem to answer to anyone but that ego of yours, so you've no right to talk Kisame." Itachi interjected.

"If this is going to be a growing problem between the two of you…then I'm not sure what Leader will do to you both if he finds out. Are you going renegade on us?"

"No. As to the Feudal lord, we had nothing to do with that. We came to the conclusion it was someone idolising Kisame, or framing him. And as to this," Itachi gestured to the land, wiping the blood from his eyes as he did so, "I was trying to stop Kisame from waging open war on Konoha. I think Leader would appreciate that, don't you?" He was by far more polite than Kisame, but Zetsu could tell he was extremely angry.

"Konoha? We're to leave the Kyuubi until Leader says otherwise. Besides, with these assassination attempts, each nation is on a lockdown worse than what the Leader has on the Hidden Rain. Why Konoha?" Zetsu asked Kisame.

"We were attacked by several Leaf ninja, they said their top priority now was my head! If we walked away from this we'd have them breathing down our necks worse than ever. What if they sent Jiraiya next time? Confronting the problem is the quickest way to deal with and get back to finding the Tailed Beasts."

"No…the quickest way to finding the Tailed Beasts is to simply find them, not waste our time and energy on a feat currently beyond us. You say the Sannin may get involved? If there's a chance Jiraiya would pursue us, then it's a chance smaller than us running into him in the Fire Nation." Itachi sighed.

"You two fought…over this?" Zetsu mocked "Ha-ha, you're both thicker than Tobi! No more distractions, no more brawling. I really don't want to have to tell Leader about this…too much trouble for me…just get back on track or I will confess." Zetsu began disintegrating into the ground.

"…If you won't see my reasoning Kisame, you must see Leader's. Stop this, or _he_ is going to get involved."

"…" Kisame remained silent.

"Kisame, did you hear me?" Itachi shouted.

Kisame lifted Samehada and began to walk away. Itachi stumbled forwards but in an instant Kisame had landed a haymaker on his face.

"…You've stuck your neck out for me a few times Itachi. I even consider us friends. But unlike you, I didn't join this organization to find shelter, I joined it on a whim. I followed it to gain power, not gain safety, or to blindly follow orders. I won't kill you here, but know if you follow me, I will. If you want your precious Jinjuriki go and find them. I'm after Konoha."

With that he turned and threw his clock to the ground, along with his ring, "I'm done with this organisation."

"This isn't just me you're betraying, Kisame. Leader, Konan and Deidara won't be so forgiving on your defection. It takes a ninja the calibre of Orochimaru to walk out on us and live…and if you're worried about Jiraiya like you are, then you're not of that level just yet." Itachi mocked from the floor.

"…whatever. I've got some killing to do." Kisame departed into the clear night, leaving a trail of mist as he went.

**Having the Scourge of the Mist abandon his infamous band of Ninja - once a traitor, always a traitor, huh? Anyway, hope you've enjoyed your fill, and I'll be praying this chapter warrants some feedback (Good or Bad) from you guys. Keep on Reading :)**


	8. Chapter 8: Fiends Behind The Scenes

Konohamaru groaned in frustration. The plan he and Hanabi formed was for them to keep look-out for the night in case Akatsuki made an appearance. It was just his foul luck that he was second to stay on watch. There truly was nothing worse than enjoying a night's sleep in a comfy bed and having Hanabi roughly shake you awake, ordering you to sit in a tree for the next six hours.

Despite his fatigue, he was still sharp enough to have not moved the entire time. For being a follower of Naruto, the kid had a lot more skill for the slower aspects of ninja-work. Indeed, he was sure that unless someone was informed of his presence in the tree, they'd have no idea he was there.

This was more useful for him than he could have at first comprehended. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something move. He guessed it may be Hanabi, possibly unable to sleep well and deciding to spend her energy to continue look-out. Despite her exterior, he was beginning to see a thawing side to her personality, perhaps she wasn't as cold as she made out to be.

It was at this thought 'made out' that Konohamaru recollected that the two had kissed. Blushing slightly, he realised that was in fact his first kiss. For most of his life, he only dreamed of becoming a great a ninja as his grandfather, there was little time to think about girls. Even so, he understood the importance of someone's first kiss. He wondered if it had been hers too.

He was so worried at the time that Itachi would see through the act, he hadn't had time to appreciate it. It was then that it hit him; what if she was coming to talk about that? He hadn't really given her much choice when he threw himself at her. Nervous that she would want to start another argument, Konohamaru stole a glance at where the figure was moving.

Then another thought struck him; what if she came about the kiss, but not to argue? This thought was fairly more unlikely than the former, but he chose it as the more preferable. If truth be told if it hadn't been for the looming figures of those two psychopaths he may have actually enjoyed it, but then, if they hadn't been there, would he still have wanted to kiss her?

Grinning slightly, Konohamaru looked for the figure, wondering how he would react if Hanabi came to talk to him – would he play it cool, as if it was only a small thing? Would he tell her it was his first time? Would he reject her?

These thoughts were left unanswered. He saw the figure, and it was big.

Konohamaru tensed when it came into the moonlight.

'No way!' He thought. 'We're in trouble!' He didn't dare move or make a noise. It was so silent that Konohamaru could have sworn he heard the beads of sweat slide down his temple.

What he saw horrified him. Kisame had arrived.

The Mist-ninja paced around the spot Konohamaru was watching for a few minutes. The Genin couldn't believe his eyes; he didn't have a scratch on him.

Swaying his Akatsuki cloak in the wind, Kisame stopped as he noticed another figure fast approaching. Konohamaru noticed it too. The figure dashed into the moonlight and revealed itself to the two observers.

This man was wearing Akatsuki garments too, complete with straw hat, thus Konohamaru couldn't identify him. Was it Itachi? How fast did these guys heal? There wasn't a mark on either of them.

The second man spoke first.

"You'll want to get rid of that outfit." He commented plainly.

"Why? I think it suits me?" Kisame laughed.

"There's been a fight near the Fire Nation. The fields were a mess for miles. I couldn't find anyone but a group of dead Leaf ninja – I thought reconnaissance had told us only four Konoha Shinobi were active outside the border?"

"So?" Kisame responded.

"So why are these guys at this battlefield? Is the Hidden Leaf acting faster than we anticipated? The wounds found on them resemble the attacks from Samehada. I'm sure they went for the Akatsuki." The man with the straw hat explained.

"He-he, so? If anyone spots me, then people will only think they got their sources on Hoshigaki's location wrong."

"That would be true, if Kisame had not abandoned his cloak and ring at the battlefield," He produced the cloak and the Kanji ring, "You've got to ditch that attire. We're fortunate enough that Hoshigaki will probably take the attack as a challenge – you're diversion was a success, but now it seems he may have left the Akatsuki, and thus he'll be harder to frame."

"Hmmm, I see your point. Besides, the other nations will only stand by and watch Konoha struggle if they think it's just them versus Kisame. If they see me walking around like this, they'll question their sources, and begin to sending their own ninja to snoop around. Best to keep them distracted." Kisame concluded.

With this, Kisame disappeared in a ball of smoke, and there stood an equally tall figure. His attire was equally dark; Konohamaru noted the dozens of black Kunai strapped to his clothing, and the two katana strapped to his back. Around his left arm was the chain of a Johyo, with the handle embedded within his wrist whilst is right hand had a jagged knuckle-duster.

Konohamaru noted this guy wasn't the shark-faced monster he'd seen earlier that day, but his attire was just as menacing.

"Listen Kumakisu, I've heard he has begun gathering a few followers now." The straw-hat-man commented.

The heavily armoured man – Kumakisu, turned to his comrade. The informant continued.

"This plan is taking too long. Sure, we've got the roads clear from interference. I've noticed even the smaller villages have followed the actions of the five nations, yet finding one guy in a derelict landscape can be just as hard with or without the other ninja interfering."

"That may be, but it's the only plan we've got right now. Besides, we haven't closed down the other villages so they won't interfere; we've closed them so they wouldn't hear about what he's done." Kumakisu retorted.

Up in the tree, Konohamaru was immersed by this meeting. Who exactly were these two? It was clear they were a part of the plot to assassinate the Feudal lords. And all this was to find one guy? Who could they want so badly that they'd risk the hand of both the five nations and the Akatsuki?

"Our concern isn't the manpower okay? I don't care how you do it; just find him, okay? I want him dead!" Kumakisu's voice rose at this line.

This guy wanted his victim's life, badly.

"I don't think vengeance is the optimum course at this time, if we're too open about our movements, the villages will find out Sensei is dead, and we'll be targeted from every angle. Why not let the little traitor run about his business for the time being. He's not the type to go mouthing off about this -" The informant was cut short by Kumakisu.

"How dare you! He left our leader, our saviour to die! After all he has done for that spineless bastard. I want his head, you understand. Just do it!"

"…It's not just you calling the shots, his right-hand-man gets a say in this too. I'm not pursuing the renegade anymore without his say-so." The informant stood resolute, but both Konohamaru and Kumakisu saw through this.

"Talking back, eh?" Kumakisu movement was supersonic. He left no sound, except the scream of the informant as he hit the ground. Konohamaru blinked twice but wasn't sure how this man, so weighed down with weaponry, moved with such speed.

Struggling to keep on his feet, the wounded man coughed up some blood before laughing. Konohamaru knew bad-guys like these two enjoyed a bit of pain, but he couldn't understand how this guy would laugh at a blow like that.

"You can…beat on me all you want…but you're not the boss of this operation…you want your revenge…then you'll only be slowing it down by fighting me…" Rising, the informant's straw hat fell. Underneath the hat was a full head of long blonde hair, with bangs covering a side of the man's face. Konohamaru then gasped in disbelief.

* * *

It was several months ago, only days after the boss's return to the village. Upon completing another mission, Ebisu-Sensei had ordered his team to take on a few solo missions…Konohamaru went to the mission registration office but found no one there on that particular day. Opting to behave in the same manner as Naruto, he went straight to the Old Lady's office, but again found no one.

He did however see one of the cabinets marked for Jonin still unlocked. Stepping towards it, he saw a document marked with the red blood cloud. His ear was sharp enough in the village to have heard this was the emblem of the Akatsuki, and so he knew this was the Akatsuki files. He'd been informed of two of them infiltrating the village three years ago – Itachi Uchiha being one of them.

His instincts told him not to browse into something as secret as that, but he, like many of the Genin, wanted to at least know the faces of their enemies. Opening the document, he saw but one page, titled, DIEDARA.

It took him only a few moments to scan the page when he learnt the man had died only two days ago, in combat with Might Gai's team. It also mentioned how Naruto's friend Sakura had defeated another Akatsuki member Sasori.

It was Deidara's face that disturbed him. Following his grandfather's death, Orochimaru's face had been shown to all villagers, especially the Academy Students – this was in order to recognise him should he stage another pre-emptive assault. Between that snake-like fiend and the horror stories about the Uchiha Clan's murderer, Konohamaru had built a disposition of labelling the bad-guys simply on their monstrous appearance. This wasn't helped by Naruto describing Gaara's transformation as twisted, and speaking of some 'Demon of the Mist' guy.

All in all, Konohamaru had spent much of his youth questioning why the good ninja didn't just go for the guys who looked sinister. That is why when he saw Deidara's face; he couldn't understand why such a friendly looking guy would join the Akatsuki. His face was gentle, effeminate even – nothing like the serpent features on Orochimaru's.

* * *

It was the same face as he saw in the document. How was this guy still alive? He was described by the four ninja witnesses as 'self-destructing into clay' yet here he was, alive and well, and staring down the glare of his new partner Kumakisu.

"Enough of this Kumakisu, we're out in the open here. Who knows; Kisame's partner the Uchiha guy may be in the same vicinity, and we haven't the time to fight him now. Proceed north, if we're correct in our sources, your target may be heading there soon enough."

Kumakisu growled, and then nodded, before sprinting off into the distance. Deidara stood for a moment, shaking his head.

"It'll be in the village's best interests if that fool died along side his target. I'll never know what Sensei saw in a freak like that…" With that, he too took off into the night, in the opposite direction to Kumakisu. Konohamaru noticed it was in the same direction as the land of Greens.

The Genin waited a few moments more before breathing again. He had to do something. Dropping from the tree, he raced right to the inn Hanabi resided in.

* * *

Konohamaru had been right about one thing; Hanabi was struggling to sleep that night. There were certain absolutes that she had held within her life: Her clan's importance, her role in that clan, the destiny in which she would walk.

These absolutes made her consider her family's place and practice as the most respectable within the Hidden Leaf Village. She'd even heard and believed in the stories of the Uchiha Clan patenting the Sharingan on the powers of the Byakugan. Yet what she witnessed today changed her perspective completely.

Mentally assessing herself, Hanabi admitted she had practically no experience in the ninjutsu the two Akatsuki members were displaying. She also remembered Konohamaru stating how Neji hadn't posed a threat to the Mist ninja Kisame when they clashed previously. In fact, her cousin's entire squad – amongst the most celebrated experts in Taijutsu were unsuccessfully when faced with Kisame's elemental mastery.

Had she, like much of her clan, become tied down to the physical arts of combat? Were the practices of her ancient heritage becoming just that…ancient? It was then that she remembered Konohamaru. Sure, his skills in Taijutsu were far below hers – he hadn't had to endure her father's constant training, yet in the forest he displayed that technique he was trying to master – the Rasengan, as she recalled. It was fleeting in its appearance, but it displayed a power far beyond the reach of her Gentle Fist combat.

If this Dead-Last Genin ever perfected it, her years worth of training would look second rate compared to it. She even questioned _why_ her clan was so celebrated. They had not done anything particularly significant for the village. All the most famous ninja from Konoha had ties either to the Senju Clan's teachings and trainings or the Uchiha Clan's epic power – one just had to observe lady Hokage or Itachi to agree with that.

She felt insignificant – this feeling was personified by the image she recalled of Kisame, lifting her by her neck so effortlessly. Struggling, helpless; all the posturing, the pampered name of the Hyuga clan paled in comparison to true Shinobi power.

Her anxieties ceased to grow further when she heard the door open and saw Konohamaru hasten into the room. Rising from her bed, she was prepared to scold the idiot for being so noisy.

"What is wrong with -" She began.

"You've got to hear this!" He shouted.

"What?" She asked, bemused by his untactful approach to speaking to her. What if someone was listening?

Lowering his voice, he climbed onto her bed and began to whisper.

"I was on look-out, same spot we agreed on, then ten minutes ago I saw something."

"What was it?" Hanabi's annoyance had evaporated by the fear that now flooded her, was the Akatsuki here?

"At first I guessed it may have been you…but then the figure came into the moonlight…it was that Kisame guy again – well at least I thought it was…"

"…what does _that_ mean?" Hanabi wondered how he could confuse that beast with someone else.

"…well he waited and sure enough another guy in Akatsuki clothing turned up-"

"Itachi Uchiha? Did they start another fight?" Hanabi asked urgently. Her fear was growing more apparent, if the two clashed again, she would only be forced to acknowledge her own lack of skill again.

"Do you think we and this town would still be standing if they were? No, it wasn't the Uchiha guy, it was someone else. They talked about Kisame going up against our village, and how they were searching for some traitor to them."

"Who was the traitor? Another Akatsuki member?"

"I don't think so. The guy told Kisame to ditch the image, and it turned out he was using a transformation Jutsu – there's no doubt; the direction he came in, the talk about assassination attempts, distractions…he's the guy we're chasing!"

Hanabi took a moment to reflect in the situation. She mused at the probability that these guys would lay down their plan right in front of him, and questioned his judgement.

"…is this true?" She asked sceptically.

"…what? Of course it is! They stopped here because of the fight between the real Akatsuki." Konohamaru felt offended. She still didn't believe him.

"Uh-huh…right, and then you _bravely _fought them off, is that it? Get real, Konohamaru. Don't go waking me in the middle of the night with some crack-pot story you've come up with in a tree." She turned to lie down and sleep.

"I'm telling you the truth! These guys, they're playing the Akatsuki against us, just like we said. One of them, the informant was even another member – this Deidara guy -"

"Deidara, as I recall my cousin witnessed his death some time back. If you're gonna make up a story, get your facts straight first." Hanabi laughed.

"No! I know what I saw! Okay! Why are you being so stupid?" Konohamaru snapped.

"Why am _I _being so stupid? Why are _you _barging into people's rooms in the middle of the night and feeding them this crap?" She retorted.

"Grrrr, for such a brilliant skill, Hanabi, you sure like to keep your eyes closed a lot, huh? Trying to ignore what's around you? Yeah, I'd say that's just like your stuck-up clan -"

Hanabi's hand connected with his face, knocking him off the bed.

Breathing heavily, Hanabi had venom in her eyes.

"Never…talk about me…or my clan…like that again…" She hissed through her clenched teeth.

His words sunk further than he could have imagined. He just confirmed what she had previously been thinking, that her clan was ignorant to their surroundings. He had insulted her honour, her skills. Who did he think he was?

Climbing up off the floor, Konohamaru dusted himself off. He'd met arrogant people in his time…some called him and his boss the most arrogant of the hidden Leaf, but this girl was in denial. What was wrong with her? Who did she think she was?

Turning, Konohamaru marched out of the room.

"…you get wound up whenever some mentions your clan, and I'm not really sure why, so for what it's worth I'm sorry." He spoke solemnly. Hanabi looked on in shock.

"…but you can't have it both ways. I may not be smart enough to do the things you can, but I'm wise enough to know that you can never judge someone on their skills, believe it." With that he left the room, leaving Hanabi shaken.

* * *

The next morning, Hanabi washed and changed. Despite the tense encounter with her partner, she had managed to finally sleep. Stepping out into the town, she reflected on what Konohamaru had said. It warmed her somehow, and seemed to silence the anxieties that were growing in her mind.

She supposed he wouldn't be one to judge on power, considering he's been an underdog for much of his life. But his statement wasn't one of an ignorant Genin, it was one only a Hokage could have articulated. Was this mimicry from Konohamaru's grandfather, or was it more genuine than that? He may not have inherited the Third's skill, but he spoke in the same manner, with the same mind, with the same will.

Standing beneath the tree, Konohamaru looked out south, his arms crossed, his face brooding. She guessed despite the little display of Sarutobi wisdom, he still was just a kid. Sulking. She took a deep breath and marched over to him.

"Er…good morning…" She smiled meekly.

"Hmph." He shrugged, looking away from her.

"About last night: I was out of order. I had a lot on my mind, and when you spoke of my family -" She began.

"If this is your way of an apology, then it needs some work." He snapped.

Hanabi gritted her teeth. True, she did find it hard to point out any of her faults.

"…you're right. I'm sorry."

Silence filled the air between them, broken only by Konohamaru's sigh.

"…nah, forget about it!" He grinned, scratching his head.

Hanabi gave a small laugh; this kid was too much sometimes.

"Okay, last night. If I'm gonna believe you on this meeting thing, then I'm gonna have to hear the story again, bit by bit." Hanabi requested.

Konohamaru proceeded to explain the entire scene he witnessed, making sure she realised that Deidara had headed to the Land of Greens.

"So even if you don't believe me, we'll definitely find answers if we carry on our mission…and I'll be proven right." He had an obnoxious smile on his face as he said this.

"…did you stop to consider that if this Kumakisu was impersonating Kisame that this Deidara was just a doppelganger as well?" Hanabi asked.

"You may be right. But then why impersonate someone who's dead?" He responded.

"I don't know. Perhaps they're information isn't what they thought it was. Regardless, we'll only know once we get to the land of Greens. Let's go." Hanabi went to leave, Konohamaru grabbed her shoulder to stop her.

"Wait a moment. Seriously, you and I are chafing too much on the mission. I'm happy to accept your cool personality, but you've got to let this clan-honour thing go, at least while we're out here, okay?" He asked. She nodded after a moment of contemplation.

"Right: no more Genin, no more comparison, no more Hyuga Clan. Until we end this, we'll be Hanabi and Konohamaru." She declared.

With that, they slipped down the winding road, before any of the townsfolk could even notice they left. Such was the way of true Shinobi.

* * *

"You send groups of your Root ANBU to areas where Maharishi Anko is positioned, as well as several other of my Jonin – areas that were already heavily fortified, yet you leave gaps open on my border without informing me!" Tsunade's screech was intolerable, yet Danzo did not react.

"…If there was a gap in the border, then the blame falls entirely on you. I am innocent." Danzo coolly replied.

"Grrr, don't play that game with me, you rotten old fool. Those areas were empty because you called my ninja back under the pretence of _my _orders."

"You can't prove that."

"No, I can't. Even so, that is not what's really annoying me. You weren't as careful as you think; your men passed Hatake Kakashi and Nara Shikamaru. They've sent a message, shall I read it?" Tsunade had a manic smile across her face. She had it because this information forced a reaction; Danzo visibly tensed.

"The message reads: 'Hokage, Our squadron had noted the withdrawal of several Chunin three hours ago. We've also witnessed ANBU escorting seven Leaf Chunin to the open border – the Chunin proceeded to cross the threshold. Upon closer inspection, ANBU bore resemblance to Root. Requesting permission to investigate, Hatake Kakashi.' Quite interesting, don't you think?"

"Hmph, you trust the words 'bore resemblance'? Hatake may have been mistaken. I didn't order that manoeuvre. If you're ninja are acting beyond their duties, then it says more about your lack of leadership skills." Danzo had composed himself again.

"Wave it off all you want. I am willing to accept Kakashi's word over yours. What were you doing? Who did you send beyond the border, and why?"

"I can assure you I have no connection to this scandal -" Danzo was cut off by the appearance of Katsuyu.

"Milady! Milady!" She cried.

"What!" Tsunade roared, she didn't need to be interrupted with Danzo on the ropes.

"We've an emergency Milady. Our borders have been attack!"

Both Shinobi froze, Tsunade could have sworn Danzo even flicked a small grin.

"Attacked? By who?" Tsunade asked.

"Unconfirmed reports state it is Kisame Hoshigaki!"

**Well, I hope you enjoyed it! I wanted to get the heroes moving again, and this isn't the last we'll see of these new foes, like it or loathe it! please drop some feedback :)**


	9. Chapter 9: Revalations

**Hiya again! The chapter was uploaded without any cleaning up - not the first time I made that mistake :P**

**I just want to thank the people who've been reviewing this story, It's great to know people are liking what they're reading!**

**Tearfully I must confess that this ninja world of Naruto wasn't my creation, it's the work of a guy called Masashi Kishimoto - regardless, enjoy!**

Despite the dire need of manpower – Konohagakure's senior bodies had overlooked one area of their government institutes. Situated in a secluded corner of the village there was a long pathway, neglected from maintenance, which housed many wild trees and plant-life. With the temperament climate of the village, along with the boycott many of the adult citizens had over this place, many of the teenage villagers found this place a haven, at least for rendezvous.

If Konoha had a make-out point, this place surely would have been it, however the pathway was more populated by expectant girls than it was by young couples. Hiding behind the plant-life was the perimeter of a compound. Emblazoned onto this perimeter wall was a symbol – the symbol of a fan; white on the handle and red flap, as if it had been nurturing flames. This pathway led to the compound of the Uchiha Clan.

The former resident of this compound was the only source of attention from the village, as stated, the younger female residents in particular. Some would even wait outside the compound, desperate not to believe the reports three years ago that he had not gone renegade. They were disappointed. Along with these regular spectators, the compound saw the presence of another two people of the village, whom would walk the path daily on their way to the Konoha Military Police Force Headquarters.

On the day after the border patrol order, these same two patrons walked the familiar road. One; an elderly and senile old man, balding on top, hunching over a stick and with one glass eye. The other man was a lot younger and broader. Standing tall, the man was on first observation rather unclean, sporting a gruff beard and long, tangling hair. Both walked in unison, in hushed discussion and wore similar attire: Blue garments with silver fishnet vests. Each wore gray glove protectors on their arms with small cloaks and armoured vests of the same colour. On the collar of their vests and on the back of their capes was an emblem striking similar to the one etched into the hidden walls of the Uchiha compound. The emblem was a black shuriken with the famous fan symbol in the centre of it.

Despite his fragile appearance, the older man was the louder and more aggressive of the two.

"This is inexcusable, Kaishin! Those old morons at the office have gone too far this time!" He exclaimed.

Shaking his head, the younger man laughed, and then drank from a hip-flask.

"Buraindo, Buraindo, what did you expect? Why on earth would they call on us?" He began, as Buraindo growled in disagreement.

"No, no, listen," The younger man continued, "four years ago, right? Some Chunin working over at the academy becomes traitor, right? We weren't told a goddamn thing until after it's all over."

"Yes, so -" Buraindo interrupted.

"Then the same little bastard breaks out with the help of those two fatsos Raijin and Fujin, right? Where were we? They send a group of Genin in! After that I gave up on them ever informing us of anything!" He cried, laughing in what could be described as a manic manner.

"Even so, for something like this, don't you think we'd have at least been given instructions? To tell you the truth, I've been wanting to get on the front lines for a long time now!" The old man clenched his fist and stared on as if remembering days of glory long gone. This provoked his college to laugh again.

"Going to the front lines! You're not that many years off of the Third Hokage, but I think age has probably caught up with you more than it did him. We won't be getting any word, I guarantee it!"

At this moment, a Kunai struck the ground before them. Staring up, they identified a cloaked ANBU staring down from the trees above.

"Wha? What is this!" Kaishin shouted.

"There's a scroll attached to it!" Buraindo pointed out. As Kaishin looked down, the ANBU had vanished. The Konoha Military Police Force was never on pleasant terms with the Hokage's private forces, even before the massacre. Despite not being an Uchiha, Kaishin had nevertheless inherited their disdain for operatives ranked higher in law than them.

Reaching down to retrieve the scroll, Kaishin opened it out and began to read.

"What does it say?" The old man asked.

"…we're to report to the Hokage. It doesn't say why." He sighed, before taking another drink from the flask.

* * *

Inside her office Tsunade waited impatiently. Discovering that the Root ANBU had been deployed was too unsettling to ignore. Hopefully, the new measures of surveillance would ensure Danzo's involvement of her Shinobi would be minimal. Before pondering much further, the door to her office was opened and in walked Kaishin and Buraindo.

Tsunade, having had to speak only to Danzo and his two decrypted fans on the council, displayed a genuine smile for the first time that day. If truth be told, she'd a soft spot for the Police Force.

"Gentlemen, please come in." She gestured both to sit. Stopping for a moment to look at each other, the two cautiously proceeded to sit before her. It had been too long since anybody in the governing system of Konoha paid the Police Force any respect.

"I presume you are already aware of the situation?" Tsunade asked, leaning forwards to analyse their response.

"Err, well, we're aware you've order the majority, if not all, Chunin and Jonin to border patrol, Milady, but, ha-ha, we're not aware why?" Buraindo laughed, clearly nervous. Despite his ramblings, he was always too sheepish around superiors such as Tsunade.

"Uh-huh. The ANBU operative this morning informed me as much -" She began.

"So you're spying on _us_ now as well?" Kaishin grinned, sipping on the flask.

Tsunade turned with an equally callous grin before speaking.

"Yeah, actually. Buraindo's been through so much in his past, it's no wonder his body doesn't have the capabilities to detect ANBU. But you, sipping on that sake every minute or so will dull your senses past his!"

Kaishin raised his flask and laughed; despite the animosity his former sergeant had for anyone connected to Senju descent, he knew Tsunade's reputation well enough to know she wasn't being too critical of his habit.

"Ah, you're just jealous because you can't drink on the job." He mocked.

"Kaishin! Shut up! Milady has called us here for a reason!" Buraindo hissed through his teeth.

"Thank you Buraindo. Yes, I've requested your presence here, because I require your specific services." Tsunade allowed these words to sink in slowly.

"Services?" Both asked in unison. What could they do that her ANBU couldn't?

"There is little to tell about the border patrol; three Feudal lords were nearly assassinated the night before last. Since no village is claiming any responsibility over this," She began.

"Thus, leaving you in a stalemate, yeah, yeah, we know the procedure. I'm still waiting to hear why we're called up. From the neglect the council's given us over recent years, I was beginning to think you didn't need us." Kaishin spoke.

"…true, you're institute isn't as celebrated as much as, say, the Academy or ANBU; but that's because there was little need for your services thus far; my predecessor's work in the village reform has meant only a handful of cases in the last seven years have warranted your involvement." Tsunade explained, and then looked at their sullen expressions.

"Look, I'm sorry but that's the truth! I want to use you two more often, I do. But for day to day activity, what are you going to bring? There are no ninja criminals in this village or any neighbouring settlements. Crime's at an all time low -"

"W-what about the bandit activity in the woods?" Buraindo interjected. Despite paying her respect, he felt he couldn't let that slide.

"…wh-what about the bandit activity?" Tsunade asked.

"Well, _that_ does fall under our jurisdiction to investigate, but when I went to go yesterday, ANBU seemed to deem the case as, what did they say? Oh, yeah, 'a lost cause'." Kaishin smirked.

This wasn't what Tsunade had expected to hear. In truth, she had heard of the situation outside the village, but thought little of it. On closer inspection she would have appreciated it if these two were allowed to conduct an investigation into that – it could have done well for the Force's depleted reputation. But she wasn't aware of any ANBU who'd deny Kaishin allowance to follow through his duty…at least, not her own ANBU.

"Huh, is that so? Kaishin Shinikaru; take it from me personally that none of my Shinobi have authority to tell you what you can and can't do in relation to civic duty – none of them would exercise any restraint on your institute when it came to apprehending criminals. However, I doubt ANBU operating from the organization Root would be so obliging."

Both Police officers drew breath. They hadn't anticipated Tsunade would so readily accuse ninja ranked high enough to join Root.

"This brings us nicely to the situation I want you to help me with. Root ANBU have been placed in certain parts of border patrol across our nation – without my authorisation I may add. Their presence amongst my troops is unnerving at best; Danzo of ANBU has repeatedly attempted to unhinge my position within the village."

"Stop right their Lady Hokage. I was only a cadet, but both Buraindo and I were in the Force when Itachi was cited as a suspect for Shisui's murder. As I recall the primary factor in his immunity to investigation was on account of his ANBU title." Kaishin responded.

"That's right. It was made loud and clear that we aren't to touch ANBU – a lot of good that turned out to be…" Buraindo shook his head. He lost a lot of friends to that sociopath.

"If you're suggesting we bring Danzo and/or his boys in for questioning, it'll be a resounding – if begrudged – no." Kaishin finished.

"I'm not asking you to make arrests or even interrogate. But just…assess the situation, y'know? With so few Shinobi active within the border, you two are my best bet at uncovering what exactly he is up to." Tsunade could see their growing eagerness to accept the case.

She had an ulterior method of persuasion active throughout the entire conversation, one that was amplified when the younger officer mentioned ANBU. She knew these two were on friendly terms with the Uchiha, and were against the discrimination Danzo and the council placed on the clan following the Kyuubi attack. Plus, the neglect they received around Itachi's massacre of the clan left them with icy impressions on Danzo and his men, regardless if they would openly admit to it.

"…I'm afraid all we'd be able to uncover is what you probably already know about him, Milady. From the sounds of it, you've had your eyes on him for a while; what can we bring?" Buraindo finally asked.

"A fresh perspective to it all. With him distributing his own followers, it will be easier for the two of you to search for evidence on his activities." Tsunade replied.

"Activities? It would help if you'd tell us what you already know." Kaishin urged the Hokage to at least give them a lead.

"…It was only a couple of months back; Kakashi Hatake's squad was sent to rendezvous with Orochimaru's henchmen, under the guise of Akatsuki. Due to Sasuke Uchiha's defection, and injuries sustained to Kakashi in a previous incident, an ANBU operative was placed by my recommendation."

"Just one?" Kaishin asked.

"No, as it turns out. Danzo took a peculiar interest in the mission, stressing the inclusion of one of his own would be needed. Thus a young Root ANBU was also assigned to the squad. Following the encounter, it was uncovered by my ANBU operative that the Root Shinobi had two secret objectives to carry out on the mission; both were to be kept secret from his teammates and myself."

"What were they?" Buraindo asked.

"The first was to strike a supposed deal with Orochimaru, wherein an alliance would be forged – in a similar method to the one he once made with Sunagakure, in order to pose a…coup d'état on my office. In exchange for his services, Danzo handed him detailed information on all my ANBU and security measures."

The two officers mused, if Orochimaru had information on the village, why hasn't he attacked?

"It is also worth stressing the second objective; to assassinate Sasuke Uchiha at all costs. Despite attempts by the Root ANBU, neither objective was considered a success, nor can any real evidence be brought forwards to denounce Danzo's intentions. Ever since then I've had growing anxiety from his constant interference and I'm concerned as to how far he may actually go."

"You want us to see if he has any other plans like this?" Buraindo asked ominously.

"Yes; specifically to do with these assassination attempts." Tsunade practically whispered this last statement.

Both officers leaned back in shock.

"Whoa, hefty claim Lady Hokage." Kaishin laughed.

"That may be taking it a step too far, but nevertheless, if we've the Hokage's backing to investigate,: then consider it done." Buraindo said, rising from his chair.

"Thanks, you two. I want frequent progress reports, oh, and…" She summoned her slug, "take her. Messages via birds are too easy to intercept."

The two officers nodded and stepped out of the office. It was at the point onwards, that no matter what revelation Danzo may throw at her during this crisis, she knew she'd get a second, more thorough opinion from informants without an agenda of their own.

* * *

The day was long and dreary, the humidity of the fight between the two Akatsuki had brought upon rain clouds. It appeared as though the weather reflected Kisame's mood the previous day. In an effort to halt the coming massacre, Itachi was forced to make a decision. Following his brawl with his former partner, Itachi's deteriorating form quickly began to take its toll on him; so much so it was only half an hour after deciding to pursue Kisame, he'd realised he had not recovered the cloak and ring he abandoned.

He had, fortunately, covered up any trail he may have left, thus he felt secure that if anyone – including Zetsu – had decided to investigate, it would be a while before he was found. This gave him time. Time to rectify the mistake he had made in challenging Kisame. Curse his stupidity. He found it ironic that it took so much damage to his own body in order to make him see sense.

How could he have even thought of intimidating Kisame into backing down? Had he accepted Kisame's proposal, he'd have been in a prime position into directing all that aggression into the search for the Jinjuriki. Now, he only had a broad idea of where Kisame will be heading – the border of the Fire Nation was a large one; and his friend could attack it from any position, he had the luxury of a head start in this chase.

He forced his weakening sinew to grind the bones of his legs. Leaning forwards and closing his eyes in pain, Itachi's will was all that was dragging him forwards. It was at times like this that he questioned whom he truly descended from; he possessed the manifesting _power_ of fire that the Uchiha Clan inherited, yet he admitted to having the _will_ of fire found within the now liquidated Senju Clan.

He questioned what drove him forwards. He already heard the answer: Sasuke. Yet rational thought argued his will; this was of no concern to his little brother – then why was he halting Kisame's advance on Konoha? He guessed that, no matter how far he had fallen over these years, no matter how much the public around him brandish him with titles of 'monster' and 'demon', he cherished the peace.

He witnessed enough fighting in his youth. The pain of his clan's falling opinion of him cut deep. He lived – or existed – with ever-present sent of blood resonating from his hands. He awakened each day with the realisation that only his brother's hand can end it all. He sacrificed his life for his brother's and their village. He felt compelled to continue onwards, keeping oath to that end.

Groaning under the strain put upon his body, Itachi staggered and collapsed again. Allowing a small laugh to escape his lips, he then questioned his earlier thoughts; if he did have the will of fire, then why was he stopping so soon? If his brother's vengeful destiny was all that could release Itachi from this hell, then why did this feel like the end?

He felt truly insignificant. As tainted as he was, he felt fate owed him enough to end things on his terms, not Kisame's. Cursing such cruel destiny, Itachi's defiant nature – nurtured within his clan's genes – practically dragged his body off of the ground, and began to pedal his legs forwards. Such was the concentration that was needed for him to walk onwards, that the thought of actually stopping Kisame never crossed his mind – what was the once untouchable Itachi going to do in this fragile state?

* * *

Miles apart from his partner, Kisame's thoughts weren't lingering on the organisation he'd left behind. His assault was quick, faultless, calculated, and above all else, ruthless. Before appearing anywhere near the border Kisame noted the condensation in the air, coupled with the low currents of wind. Ideal. It was mere hours after the fight, yet the sky was shrouded in dark clouds. All that was needed was a little mist.

Positioning himself half a kilometre from the border, Kisame's Secret Mist Jutsu was executed with moderate range, and only when the downpour had reached heavy density. Perfect. With the clouds slowly departing, the uneven ground left numerous puddles scattered on and around the path he was haunting.

From within the puddle, he felt the tremors from the ground, originating from the trees. From here, he learnt that six Shinobi and two Kunoichi were present in the trees, with four more Shinobi in the bushes beneath. However, the tremors told him more. Of the two Kunoichi, one's movements were harsher, more identifiable, whenever she would breath her body would twitch – she was nervous. Her fellow Kunoichi was more composed, leaning on the branches, her lack of movement told him her heart rate had yet to elevate – a Jonin no less.

The ten Shinobi included seven Chunin – three of which were greenhorns by their clumsy movements between the trees. He allowed a tiny snigger to escape into the air, these Leaf Shinobi really were amateurs. The four more experienced Chunin were heavier, built with more muscle, and thus moved less to accommodate to that notion. As for the three ninja yet to be mentioned, they hardly registered to his senses – Jonin at the very least, ANBU trained, no doubt.

The twitchy Kunoichi and the three greenhorns would be easy. They would react to an attack, not initiate one. If he bore on the Jonin on the ground, he would at least have them stunned before attacking. Their response wouldn't be of concern, yet he was concerned about those he would initially be attacking – unless he killed at least one of the ANBU in his first move, he'd have to face the Jonin in the tree and three facing him on the ground. He noted the water around him, perhaps ninjutsu was more appropriate than Taijutsu, yet the identity of Konoha's attacker shouldn't be quickly established – disarray on the border would be far more effective for his assault than if concentrated ninja were accurately informed of his presence.

He heard the ninja girl move again, and the movements of the men on the ground echoed it, they were talking. Raising his head, Kisame could see their outlines. He made his move. He was sharp, painful, and above all else, accurate. Two of the Jonin fell; the Chunin's reactions were weak. It cost them their lives. Above him, Kisame saw little of the movement of the two women, he just felt the rain of Kunai and Shuriken bear down upon him. Raising Samehada to block the bombardment, he realised for a second time in the last day and a half, that blindly defending would leave him…well, blind. Any trace of the Jonin Kunoichi was gone, yet he caught sight of the nervous ninja.

Striking down the tree she had landed on in an attempt to escape, Kisame noted her appearance. Those eyes! The Hyuga clan really did have the misfortune of running into him, this time it would cost them dearly. Bearing down on her laying body, the surviving ninja in the trees opted for another aerial assault, this time with several element releases – Kisame was never a fan of thunder attacks, yet stayed off the blitzing shocks he received.

In a similar manner, he now found he had a dislike for wind-guided projectile weaponry, as he removed a kunai from his shoulder. Time was growing short. Mere seconds had transpired since he rose from his hiding place, yet if he didn't confirm twelve bodies within the next minute, the border would be alerted and any element of surprise would be wasted. Opting to kill the injured girl first, Kisame turned again, but was faced with two Kunoichi. One he had met before.

"Hoshigaki, right? You haven't got Uchiha this time! You're mine!" Kurenai growled.

Her figure had changed. It was subtle, but it was clear to him.

"You're talking big there, but you're not just risking _your_ life here, are you?" Kisame grinned.

"Kurenai-Sensei, don't!" Hinata screamed, as her mentor and the enemy rushed forwards.

Locking weapons, Kurenai's Kunai began to snap under the pressure. Kisame breathed in.

"Ahhh, that scent. Asuma Sarutobi, am I right? He's the only guy I've met who wore that cologne. Ahhh, that's right! I heard Hidan had fun with him!" Kisame roared with laughter. Kurenai's rational thought was slipping away.

"So that's the future of the Sarutobi clan, huh? Shame the poor kid's parents…just…couldn't…stay…at…home!" He knocked her down with each word as he finished this statement.

His own enjoyment of the situation cost him greatly; Hinata had called for the Shinobi to inform the border patrols, she wasn't going to allow this man to harm her Sensei.

Thrusting her palms onto the lower of his spine, Kisame bellowed and leapt back from Kurenai and Hinata.

"Bitch! Hiding behind a pregnant woman! You're just as cowardly as you're pitiful little sibling!" He roared. This information was something she had not expected him to say.

"W-what?" Was all she could say.

"You're sibling, I had the displeasure of running into her yesterday; I even had my hands around her neck -"

Hinata didn't know what came over her. Between her growing confidence, her sense of duty to defend the border, her nurturing affection for Kurenai and her child, and her sisterly instincts, Hinata was up close to Kisame within a heartbeat.

"Y-you…bastard! How…dare…you!" She screeched, wavering his resolve as he struggled to counter her bombardment of chakra attacks.

Raising a fist and knocking her to one side, Kisame had realised over a minute had elapsed. He was too late. He could already hear the footsteps of the other ninja. His thoughts couldn't manifest further, as Hinata was again on two feet, gripping her hands around his string vest and pulling him close.

"What did you do to her?" She hissed.

Kisame was stunned by the obscenity of the situation. Was he being interrogated by this hysterical girl?

"She was my sister…y-you bastard!" Hinata's eyes were blistering with tears.

Kisame threw a punch to her stomach, as Kurenai attacked from the side, thrusting two Kunai into his arm and leg. Allowing Hinata to collapse from her wound, Kisame threw the same punch at Kurenai, but found her evaporating into lily petals.

"Arrgh, Genjutsu!" He roared.

He heard the calling cries of reinforcements. He had only one hostage at his feet, and one Jonin who had already drew his blood. Was he being fool-hearty? Had Itachi been right?

**If Kisame think's he can just toss our timid little Hyuga into the category of 'hostage' he'll be sorely mistaken next chapter - plus our Heirs finally catch up with thier target 'Deidara'...**

**Like what you're reading? Think I need to improve, a review is all it takes to let me know...go on...it's right there...you know you want to, lol!**


	10. Chapter 10: Friends

**Hello again Naruto Fans! I'll be honest with you on this; the story sat on the 'To-Do' list since I've dug up Ocarina of Time and took a trip down computer-game-memory-lane and since I've picked up Final Fantasy XIII the consistency of chapter writing may be a little slow, sorry :(**

**Naruto and all its franchise belong to Kishimoto, us lesser beings are just here to enjoy it, so let's do just that!**

Travelling in the wilderness was more difficult on Hanabi than she ever would have wished to admit. As much as she trained within the comfy walls of the Hyuga Compound, her body was thoroughly unprepared for the requirements of cross-country travel. The marching order the two employed – the one where Hanabi would take the lead due to her keen eyesight – was now a crumbling mess as she drifted further and further behind her companion.

Sighing with frustration, Hanabi took a moment to remove her sandal to see blisters beginning to form around the soles and toes of her feet. She also found herself cursing the sky above; the baking sun was far more intense than in the Fire Nation. Rational thought and composure reminded her of why this was; not four hours ago, she'd vocally complained about the heat (only provoking Konohamaru's sniggering) and pulled her map back out to see how much distance they had covered.

Falling into a pit of despair, she found that it would take at least a day and a half to reach their destination at this speed, but noted that their position was very close to the land of Wind. Indeed, armed with this information, Hanabi opted to quickly climb a nearby tree and scan the horizon, much to her companion's confusion. The map was right; though miles into the distance, there was little distraction between her and the deserts of the Wind Nation.

The spectacle would have been lost on Konohamaru – whom was more concerned with any fruit Hanabi may come across whilst up there, but to her the golden sea of sand, swaying in mighty gusts of wind was completely alien to her. With the unpleasantness that plagued the start of her journey, Hanabi had not really thought of how exciting it would be to see other lands; she had to admit that she would on occasion assume the whole world was a mirror image of the forests surrounding her home. Even with her eyes, she strained to take in each detail before her.

However, that was four hours ago. Now she would have offered her eyesight in exchange for a luxurious hot spring with some dumplings, preferably cooked by her sister. Her frustration was further tempered by noticing Konohamaru was practically unaffected by the change in weather. His pace had not hastened or slowed for the majority of the day, and the only time he seemed to feel any sort of strain was when he made his quarter-hourly complaint that they needed to stop and eat.

Hanabi was in luck as this moment fell upon one of these food-checks, and her friend turned and asked to stop. She tried to tell herself that that wasn't possible, that they were already very far behind from their destination and stops like this would only make things worse, but her poor feet were now in command, and were already walking to the side of the path with Konohamaru. She collapsed with relief, arms stretched wide as she stared into the sun.

"…hey, y'know when grown-ups tell you not to look at the sun through a telescope, 'cause you'll go blind…" Konohamaru said, scratching his head as he stared at the lazing Hanabi.

"Hmmm?" Was her unconcerned reply.

"…well, shouldn't you not stare into the sky like that? In case it hurts you're eyesight?"

"..."

"Well?" He pressed.

"Hehe, these eyes aren't magnified glass; they don't intensify the rays, but you've got a point," She rolled onto her stomach and stared ahead into the distance, "…absolutely nothing, we're the only thing for miles."

"I wonder how everyone at the village is doing. Maybe Moegi and Udon got another mission or two…" Konohamaru mused aloud.

"What was with _her_?" Hanabi asked, still quite scandalised at her behaviour on their first day.

"Oh, haha, it wasn't really at you, our team had just had a bad day, and she can be real nice most of the time." Konohamaru laughed.

"Well, I think such behaviour is ill befitting of a Kunoichi." She muttered.

"What was that?" Konohamaru asked, he was sure Hanabi had said something.

"Nothing, nothing…what's it like Konohamaru?"

"Huh, what?" He asked, bewildered by such a vague question.

"Being in a team: What's it like?"

Konohamaru paused at this. Surely since she was skilled enough to become Genin that she will have known what a team was like. She must've also been placed on one. His answer was given when she continued.

"My father took special interest in my training, I'm guessing since he doesn't value my sister as much. I was allowed into the academy, but he talked with the Hokage and opted to train me specifically. I never got onto a team."

"Huh? You're not on a team? So…your friends?" He was sheepish about speaking these words.

"…I don't really have any. I mean, Hinata and Neji are always kind to me, and their teammates are also very nice. Whenever Neji trains with father, sometimes his over-enthusiastic friend Lee will interrupt requesting a duel. Or if Hinata gets called on a mission, that boy with the dog will always hang around outside, poking fun at her to hurry up. It may be just me, but the two of them have matured – opened up – since they got their teammates."

Hanabi let that explanation linger in the air, and through the corner of her eye observed Konohamaru's reaction.

"…Well, I've got to say, it's the most fun I've ever had. I was real lucky to get my best friends in my team; we were friends before we graduated. Ebisu-Sensei is a friend of Kakashi Hatake's, and both talk about team-work being real important to a ninja. But I never could've imagined I'd wind up with the same two friends I played with for years…"

* * *

Days before his departure with Ero-Sannin, Naruto had booked time off one quiet afternoon to tackle a momentous task – no, not to retrieve his lost friend Sasuke, but to finally move the piles of crap scattered across his apartment. Squinting with apprehension, he began to approach a mountain of empty instant-ramen pots. Lifting the first one he laid his hands on, he checked the expiration date…over nine months ago.

Judging by the height and position of this pot, Naruto guessed the pile stretched back to before he graduated from the academy. This was going to get messy.

It was at that moment that a knock on his door had liberated him from his self-imposed shackles of cleaning. Dashing to answer it, he saw Sakura in his doorway.

"Sakura-Chan…you here to see me?" He asked in a flirtatious manner; placing one elbow on the doorway, his hand still clutching the ramen pot. Sakura looked on in annoyance, before noting the date on the pot.

"…oh my god…" she gasped.

"Haha, you're flattering me, but Naruto-Kun will do-"

"That pot is growing fungus in it! You keep that stuff in your house?" She recoiled in horror at this stage. Naruto looked at the pot and sheepishly threw back onto the pile behind him.

"Oh, hehe, sorry…" He grinned.

"Look, Lady Tsunade has summoned you, okay? She said it was something she needed to discuss with you before you left with Master Jiraiya. Well I've done my job," She sighed, clutching her nose as the pungent smell from the apartment began to invade the corridor, "I'm going back to my training."

With that Sakura dashed off, leaving a crestfallen Naruto in her wake.

"Arrgh, what does Grandma-Tsunade want now?"

A little over ten minutes later, and Naruto found out.

"Y-you want my…advice?" He asked, totally bewildered.

Tsunade began to brandish a vein of anger atop her forehead, whilst blushing and looking at anything but the Genin before her.

"Well…you're training with Jiraiya may take some time – we're talking years, so it'll be a while before the leaf can contact you again."

Naruto could not see any conceivable reason why the village would urgently recall him; the rest of the Konoha 12, Iruka-Sensei, Kakashi-Sensei: any of them would do.

"So since you're departing, now's the best chance to get any information from you that may prove helpful in the foreseeable future."

There was a pause.

"Oh I get it! Haha, you want me to reveal all my secrets since I'm such an awesome ninja, don't you Grandma-Tsunade? You're worried that without me, the village will lose its number one Shinobi! Or, or maybe you're too afraid that I'll come back and knock you off the Hokage spot, so you're gonna try and weasel your way into learning all my top-secret weaknesses!" His face became mortified as this thought left his lips, "That's it, isn't it? Ooooh, How…could…you! The village trusts you, I trust you, and you're gonna get rid of me for your own evil selfish little plan-"

Naruto's hysterical trail of thoughts could not continue unchecked, and Tsunade dutifully punched him through her office door before ordering him to walk back in so she could punch him again – he complied. After several minutes of this, Tsunade's temper and Naruto's insanity had both cooled.

"Listen you little pest, this has nothing to do with your so-called skills. This is about Konohamaru."

Naruto squinted his eyes in confusion.

"Huh?" He finally responded.

"Hehe, as articulate as ever, aren't we? The kids in the academy are nearing the next graduation exam; Konohamaru may be one of the candidates Iruka will test. Now, I've already got several reports from him and other Chunin teaching there, a recommendation from Asuma and also reports published shortly before the Third Hokage's death. These reports come from Ebisu – I've been told by both Kakashi and Jiraiya you're acquainted with him – and in the later sections he mentions Konohamaru's main influence was not his teachings but yours."

Naruto still couldn't quite see where she was going with this.

"Look, choosing teams for Genin is a delicate procedure; we don't just draw names out of a hat, you know? Take your team for instance; Sasuke could only flourish more with the aid of friendship (though that was a tad too wishful), Sakura needed to be around people that will encourage her to improve her physical skills and you would do well with both physically and mentally superior Genin-"

"Hey!"

"It worked didn't it? If you were with Shikamaru instead of Sasuke, would you have worked so hard to improve? If Ino and not Sakura were on your team, would you learn as much about the ways of the ninja? Teamwork is a vital part of your occupation, and must be taken into consideration before you even graduate. So, what can you tell me about Konohamaru?"

"…well, the kid's a lot like me, you know? He's best when he feels like he's competing, so it would have to be with someone who'll push him to improve. He's…er…a little bit smarter than I was, hehe, but he doesn't like to be talked down to by someone smarter than him."

Throughout all this, Tsunade nodded intently as she noted down Naruto's words. She finally looked up to ask another question.

"Udon and Moegi, his friends…Shizune commented on how they may work in a similar fashion to Team 10, would you agree?"

"…no! None of them are fat, or obnoxious, or overly lazy. Plus they'd need to learn all sorts of Jutsu-"

"No, no, no! I mean, would they work effectively as a single unit, or are they best at developing skills individually?" Tsunade interrupted.

"Oh! Haha! Well they chase me around sometimes, but it's always too clumsy to be called real teamwork. If you really want my opinion, Konohamaru needs to be with someone to rival him…like Sasuke was to me…that'll bring out the best in him. With those two, he's the leader, and won't improve as much."

"Uh-huh. You've worked with Hinata Hyuga on many missions these last few months, her sister is also considered for the test, she's a lot more like Neji than she is her elder sister. Tell me, would being teamed up with Neji strive you to improve?"

Again taken aback by this seemingly random question, he nodded; it was true – like Sasuke, Neji's approval was highly respected by Naruto.

"Well if Konohamaru's a lot like you, then would it be reasonable to consider placing the two in a team?"

"…yeah, if she's anything like the Hyuga clan member's I've met, teaming up with someone as friendly as him will only do her good."

* * *

Konohamaru continued to explain how much fun it was hanging around with his friends each day, until he spotted Hanabi's glum face.

"…what's up?" He asked.

"…nothing…" She sighed.

With that she stood back up and signalled for them to continue their journey. Konohamaru, finishing his snack, was left bemused by her sudden cold demeanour. Was it something he had said?

Rushing up to walk beside her, he wasn't going to let this go so easily.

"What's wrong Hanabi?" He asked in concern.

"I said it's nothing Konohamaru, okay? Now let's get this mission completed and you can go back to your friends…" She sighed.

That was it. The issue of friends had touched a nerve, and he'd been blabbing on about how much fun it was to be on a team, when she had to train all alone. Konohamaru swallowed his pride as he spoke.

"I'm sorry for back there. But, you know, what you said isn't true." Hanabi turned to him as he spoke this.

"I'm your friend." He smiled. Hanabi allowed these words to sink in, before attempting to refute them.

"But you're not a real friend, more a comrade…once the mission is over, you'll be back with Moegi and Udon again, joking about whatever adventures you all get up to…" she looked away, attempted to act unaffected by this.

"No, I'm not a comrade, I'm a friend. When I get back, I'll be joking about whatever adventures you and I get up to out here, and you can be there too, just lighten up and you'll probably realise a lot of people like you."

"Huh?" She asked.

"You don't just get friends, you know, you have to make them. Instead of wishing you had some, go out and make some. I'll introduce you to some of the other Genin; you'll see how popular you can become!" He explained. Hanabi began to bear a shy smile at this. She'd expected him to storm off or ridicule her over her lack of friends, but he wanted to help her.

"But people tend to get the wrong impression of me -" she began.

"That's because you don't let them see you. For the first couple of days out here, I was constantly at arm's length; but once you relaxed, you're pretty cool to be around. I mean, you're smart, funny, pretty -"

"What?" Hanabi asked shocked. Konohamaru froze at that line too; it was just a slip of the tongue.

"T-t-the point I'm making is, you've just got to try, and that's all, instead of feeling sorry for yourself."

"…is this another wise passage from your _boss'_s book on life?" Hanabi asked, giggling – partly because this did sound like a pep talk from Naruto Uzumaki, and partly because of the slip of the tongue he was trying to hide.

"Not really; he says this stuff too, but that's only because it's true – anyone will tell you the same thing. Now come on, if you want to wrap this mission up so soon, and then let's get moving, and then we can laugh about all this, together!" He ran ahead, with Hanabi following behind him, a smile beaming broadly across her face.

* * *

The blazing sun had descended as if into hell by the time the two Genin had stopped again. Because of Konohamaru's pace, they had managed to cover far more ground than they thought. Indeed Hanabi could see the land of Greens in the distance, and was debating if stopping now was too lazy, or if heading in there at this hour would provoke the guards into thinking they were the assassins.

Konohamaru made the decision for her, by drifting off into slumber-land without even setting up camp. Sighing and laughing gently, Hanabi sat on a stump near Konohamaru and began to brush her hair absent-mindedly. This was, of course, just a ruse. She'd seen him over a mile ago. Her eyes were sharp even in the dark. He stood only feet away. His straw hat showing slightly from the tree he was hiding behind.

The next thing she saw was a Kunai flashing through her hair as she leapt forwards. It had a strange shape, but before she could note it further, an overbearing pain coursed through her head, causing her to collapse and scream. Konohamaru stirred at this, and leapt up to see the emerging figure of their target. 'Deidara' stood before them, ready to kill.

**I know I promised more Kisame V Hinata action in this chapter, but I wouldn't have done it any justice without going way over my desired word count, but next time, I promise you'll see Leaf V Akatsuki in all its glory, Hooray!**

**Be it good, bad, or ugly (sorry, I was watching westerns the other night) please review to tell me what you think**


	11. Chapter 11: Second Guessing

**Okay, I'm a little nervous about this chapter, since it's my first go at an entire fight sequence. I tried to stay true to the anime and manga's style of combat; a lot of trap-laying, plenty of tension between bouts and always second-guessing everyone's plans. I hope you'll enjoy, it anyways!**

**Kishimoto is the lucky bugger for having the brain-wave of a young, ADHD ninja fighting evil, and thus I admit he owns the right to the series :(**

A rule of thumb when handling Genjutsu was to simply question the logic of the reality one had been thrust into. Fortunately, only a minute had transpired in Kisame's short assault. Therefore the extent of the Genjutsu could not have been in effect for anymore than fifty-nine seconds – that is, assuming; Sarutobi's bitch became aware of him _during_ the initial attack. Rational thought was required here.

This Kunoichi was never elected for special services; based on intelligence on ANBU, she never qualified for their level of expertises; thus her level of combat was limited. She was pregnant and has lost her lover in a previous mission. Her mastery of Genjutsu states she isn't fortified for Taijutsu, therefore reaction time would be more akin to Chunin than Jonin like Hatake. Taking these facts into account told Kisame a lot about Kurenai. Each fact complimented the theory that her casting of the Genjutsu wasn't in the first five, nay, ten seconds. Chakra needed for it would be difficult to accumulate when she harbours a baby – too much pressure could kill it, and all evidence in her speech and movements support the theory she is sentimental and protective of it – what mother wouldn't be?

The father of her child was slain by his accomplice; and he noted these Leaf Ninja weren't the most composed and clear minded – that had to be effecting her better judgement, thus slowing her initiative. All facts pointed to Kurenai's lack of speed. He decided the Genjutsu took place in over thirty seconds. This is where he knew he had at least secured her death. Her assessment and actions against him took over thirty seconds. The realisation of this all occurred to him within three seconds.

Looking down he saw the wretched, petite figure of the Hyuga girl, and then to the two Kunai she hit him with. Laughing, he thought it unusual that these two toys would have hit him, in a nerve no less, and yet there was nowhere near enough blood to signal the wound was real. She hadn't enough knowledge of anatomy – thus confirming her lack of ANBU training.

"Hehe, I hope the lack of blood is simply a mistake on your part; a vain or artery located here," He pointed to the Kunai on his arm, "would excrete far more blood than what I'm pouring. Or, perhaps I've stumbled upon an innate fear…"

In the distance, Kurenai unconsciously gripped a branch she was sitting on tight at this, fear? What of?

"I heard your Hokage had hemophobia, a lot of irrational women suffer from it – trauma from war and what not. Tell me; looking at the lack of blood you've employed, do you _really _want that child? It'll be a lot gorier than this!" He wrenched out the Kunai and it faded away, along with his wound.

Kurenai growled, because the bastard had hit a nerve. Just then, as she was about to lunge forwards, they both heard a voice.

"You're…wrong…" Came a timid retort from Hinata, struggling to her feet.

Kurenai turned to Hinata for a moment, as Kisame spat onto the floor in disgust; he heard the footsteps of the reinforcements draw closer. Perhaps this girl would be more useful than he thought.

"Kurenai-Sensei…isn't afraid of having…her baby…she only fears it may…meet monsters like…you -" another sucker punch to her stomach and Hinata was floored again. Kurenai's grip on the branch tightened further. There. He heard it. Genjutsu or none, the hysterical bitch had just revealed her position. He didn't fear that she was luring him into a trap; he knew _she _was the one making the mistakes here.

Weaving between the trees, Kurenai was slow to react when she saw the colossal figure bear down from above her. Leaping backwards, strands of her hair were diced as his blade swung low. And then, that was all the motion he made. Kisame stood there growling, but did nothing more.

Kurenai contemplated whether this guy's time with Itachi had meant he learnt Genjutsu too, was this a part of _his_?

"Gotchya." A victoriously calm voice sniggered from behind Kisame. Kurenai's shock turned into a smile. He really was good.

Stepping out of the trees, Shikamaru stood coolly before both of them, his shadow extended all the way to Kisame's.

Kurenai released her Genjutsu, and moved to Hinata, lifting her gently to her feet.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, Complete, huh?" She laughed.

"Hey! There's one thing I don't let anyone do, and that's complete my catchphrase, it's so…"

"Troublesome…" Hinata sighed, also laughing.

Shikamaru produced a sweat drop and scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, was he so predictable?

Several other Jonin and Chunin also emerged, weapons brandished and pointed towards the captured Kisame.

"You may be predictable, Shikamaru, but this guy here, he's just too damn easy to read." One mocked, as the growling beast cursed at them.

Pacing forwards, Shikamaru maintained his cool disposition up until he walked through another puddle.

Groaning as the water splashed up his leg, Shikamaru shivered, much to Hinata's and Kurenai's amusement.

"Damn rain, (and I was looking so cool as well)", he walked further forwards, his prisoner mimicking it.

The two became so close together, mere centimetres separated them, yet Shikamaru was content with the fact his opponent couldn't do a thing.

"You think you're pretty smart, eh? You don't know how much shit you've walked into." Kisame growled.

"Oh?" Shikamaru looked up into the cloud-covered sky and sighed, "You know, I met two other guys wearing your colours. Yeah, some money-hungry freak and his sick son-of-a-bitch friend with the scythe."

"So you were a part of that squad huh? I can smell Sarutobi's smoke on you too, his pupil huh?" Kisame showed no emotion.

"Yeah, I'm the one who blew that death-preacher to pieces. Trust me, I've seen it first-hand now; you guys are nothing special."

Kisame still remained composed.

"Now tell me, why are you here?" Shikamaru asked.

"To kill." Was the plain yet twisted reply.

Shikamaru glanced at two medical nin whom were treating the wounded and dead in Kurenai's border team, "…I can see that. Why are you killing our men?" He turned back to the prisoner.

"Because you're out to kill me. Personally I think you guys are a tad high and mighty; the hit squad told me enough, but I'd recommend doing more homework on your target before striking like that."

Shikamaru leaned in close so they were practically touching.

"You, I and the Hokage know you didn't try anything in the Land of Greens, so don't try and feed me some crap about who struck first. We've sent no hit squad, so either you're lying or there is a third party involved. I'm guessing it's the latter, why chase after us?"

Kisame remained silent.

"In encountering your other allies, I'm aware you move in two-man cells. Where's Itachi Uchiha?"

At this the other Chunin tensed and immediately began to look around, in fear of being struck down at any second.

"Hehe, I dunno. I left him for dead a day ago. I'm working solo now." Upon hearing this, Shikamaru noticed his attire lacked the trademark black cloak.

"Now…it's my turn for questions, but these are directed to you all. This shadow doesn't stop my sense of awareness; I can tell there are no more ninja for a few miles. So I've got all of you in this one clearing – well, minus the three ANBU above us to the west, watching from the trees."

At this everyone turned, as a few leaves scattered. Kurenai turned to Shikamaru.

"Did you know?" She asked.

"Grrr, Root…" He spat. Kisame gave a laugh.

"I'm guessing there is friction in the ranks. I can relate to that! Now on to my question, whom do you value the most here?"

Silence followed as Shikamaru stared on in perplexity.

"I'll ask again, whom do you value the most here?" When no one responded he laughed again.

"Okay, okay. I'll take it you don't follow. Before me; is an ingenious tactician and true Konoha Shinobi. He's even managed to ensnare me and I do accept his claims that he killed Hidan. Surely the village must value such a prestigious ninja."

Everyone stared at Shikamaru who didn't move, yet felt foreboding stirring in his gut.

"Now, you also have a Jonin, with a splendid mastery of Genjutsu; as beautiful as she is fiery. Calm on most occasions, her only current fault is her nurturing of her unborn babe, whom I am guessing is son to a Ninja Guardian and Honourable Grandchild to the Third."

Kurenai did react; with a small swear word, only making her opponent laugh louder.

"And finally, a delicate heir to the Hyuga Clan. Her Kekkei Genkai alone should be of enough worth for you all to throw down your lives."

Hinata gasped, as everyone continued to stare at Kisame, until one Chunin finally spoke.

"Oh No! He's talking about Itachi! Everyone! Watch yourselves!" All but Shikamaru created a perimeter.

"You idiot! Itachi isn't here. This is all me. Now I'll ask you all one last time, whom do you value the most here?"

When he received no response, he sighed.

"Very well then." He grinned as Shikamaru gave a cry and his shadow broke. Everyone jumped in disbelief as Shikamaru stood struggling to stay conscious as the horrific figure of Kisame wrapped his arm around the young ninja's neck, snapping Shikamaru's left arm in the process.

Hinata and Kurenai couldn't contemplate what happened, how did he break free from the shadow?

"I guess I'll start with this little punk."

Weapons brandished again, the ninja ordered Kisame to release him, lest he suffer the _sharp_ consequences.

"H-how did you…" Hinata began.

"What? Broke free? I'll let you figure that out." Kisame hissed. Two Jonin stepped closer to the right, drawing attention to themselves as they stepped onto another puddle.

"I wouldn't do that…" Kisame warned.

Shikamaru's vision was fading but he saw this too. He fought to say the words, but couldn't gather any air. It was the puddles.

At that moment, he realised it was too late. He heard the screams from the two Jonin as they fell to their deaths. Not even a second was spent on Kisame's water clone emerging from the puddle. Kurenai took this opportunity to attack Shikamaru's hostage, whom vanished upon impact, leaving the Chunin unconscious.

"Of course, the puddle Shikamaru stepped on…he planned this all along, but when?" She asked.

"Hahahaha! When you looked at your pathetic little student after she managed to stand back up. I took the time to make a few _reinforcements _with the water, you've captured nothing but a water clone, _clever little Konoha rats_!" Kisame's voice carried through the clearing from outside it; the real one never reached her.

"If you count the jumped-up little shit there, I've managed to remove three from my list of opponents, I'm counting six of you left. Who will I get next?"

Everyone tensed, as fear spread across each of them. The wait was unbearable.

"Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't wait too long before making a move; I've got more than two water clones in this forest, a lot more…watch your step."

* * *

Despite his warnings, no action was taken against his hostages. Kurenai had noted that at least half an hour had elapsed since Kisame had provoked them to leave the clearing. Having said this, none of the ninja dared to make any movement to their fallen comrades –except Hinata, whom was nurturing the unconscious Shikamaru. Shaking slightly, Kurenai felt that the helplessness of the situation must be getting to her, she was always more delicate than a ninja should be.

"…Hinata…" She whispered softly. The response Hinata gave wasn't directed at her, it was aimed at the villain within the forest.

"Tell me; what happened to Hanabi!" She cried. Everyone was taken aback. Kurenai then recalled Kisame mentioning a Hyuga he'd previously met, though she chalked it up to a branch family member – Neji perhaps.

"…hehe…perhaps I don't want to tell you…" His voice echoed through the ears of each ninja, every syllable inducing traumatic fear. Hinata stifled a cry.

"T-tell me she's alright. How did y-you find her?" Through the hysteria, Hinata couldn't find a possible reason for Kisame coming across her sister.

"She was with her little Romeo, eating pickles as I recall." Kisame felt compelled to amuse himself by torturing Hinata.

"R-Romeo? who?" She asked, glancing through her memories; Hanabi never mentioned any boys.

"Aha! I believe the boy was a Sarutobi – the irony is poetic, don't you think?" At this statement, Kurenai growled. She had taken a shine to Asuma's nephew since his youth. He had the same eyes as his uncle, the same passion. After his death, Kurenai noted Konohamaru's admiration to the Third increase ten-fold. She and Asuma would often come across him and his friends chasing Naruto. But she too had no idea he had an eye for Hanabi.

"That's a load of crap! You broke through our border today; attacked us and declared you left Akatsuki! Are you trying to tell us that before all that, you'd infiltrated the country and attacked our village? Give me a break!" Kurenai spat, the statement instilling a little more confidence in Hinata. Armed with this truth, she began to doubt Kisame's story, though his response undid all that.

"Didn't you know? They were _outside_ the border. I don't know what you're doing sending Genin out during a time like this, but their amateur attempt of concealing themselves from us was so pathetic, I felt like weeping."

Who authorised that? On one hand, Kurenai could have just reinforced the argument that Kisame was just messing with their heads; he purposely preyed on her – a pregnant woman – by mentioning a loved one, whilst doing the same thing to the weakest minded of us. But how did he know Hinata had a sister? How did he know there was a young Sarutobi? Was it mere guesswork? Could he have been so lucky?

Hinata maintained a strained silence, but everyone could see tears begin to trickle down her pale cheeks; her usually pearl-esque eyes were bloodshot as she simply stared into the distance. Kurenai thought it best not to provoke Kisame much further. She could feel the unrest from the rest of the company. If he chose to strike, there was too much evidence that none of them would survive.

Minutes crawled along, and it became painfully obvious to the Chunin and Jonin that there would be no backup. The thought of the Root ANBU gathering further reinforcements was ludicrous. No doubt they would still be watching. No doubt they would still be waiting. No doubt they'd let them all die. The reality of this fate was becoming more apparent on the faces of her comrades. She glanced at Shikamaru, praying the boy would awaken. Now, more than ever, would they need some tactical support.

* * *

Meer metres away, Kisame didn't wish to reveal it, but felt just as trapped as his hostages. For he was aware of one more ANBU 150 metres to the right of him. The ninja – a male by his anatomy – hadn't come with any backup. He was alone, yet his heartbeats trickled through the ground, microscopic ripples through the puddles told him the man was calm, very calm. He'd observed Kisame's attack on the group, and had used that time to gain a crucial advantage. Kisame was far more suited at close-combat, but at 150 metres, this ninja was well out of his range, plus his movements between the trees, and his speed suggested he could keep that distance for a while.

The fact this ninja hadn't fled for backup meant he was confident enough to take him on at a distance. More than once Kisame felt the hairs on the back of his neck stick up as if he was being read at every moment. The ANBU's movements were symmetrical to his as the crept through the trees, all the while keeping the same distance and angle. How was he doing this? He felt like this before…it was then that it struck him!

Three, possibly four men could do this to him. One, he ruled out due to his age and lack of military training. The second could very well do this, but had no motive nor style to watch him from a distance – he knew that much from working underneath said ninja. The third and fourth option were the most likely; both were surely in the border facility, both possessed the ability, both were ANBU, both would opt to face him alone. The question was; which one was it?

Itachi would still need to recover, thus the activation of the second stage wouldn't be practical in this forest; he may be scoping him from a distance and using his regular Sharingan to find a golden moment. If this was so, he questioned the value of keeping his hostages alive – they'd be of little worth to his former ally, but he wondered at how fast Itachi could have kept up with him. That left Kakashi. If it were him, then why was he not a part of the reinforcements before? Kakashi was a professional, true, but he wouldn't risk too many casualties. What if Kisame was unhinged? What if this was a suicide mission? He would have subsequently cost the village many lives. Would he really sit this one out?

The pros and cons were equal. It could be either. But the result was the same; if he struck the group, he'd have to suffer the wrath of his watcher. Conversely, striking out at the ANBU would raise the attention of the hostages – afraid or not, they were all trained enough to scatter efficiently should the situation arise. Kisame mused. He supposed no matter who was watching him, they wouldn't have been there for long; were they aware of the water clones in the puddles? If he navigated his predator far enough, would he activate his 'traps'? With little choice in the matter, he decided to do this. At the very least, it could reveal who he was.

Step by step, he lured the man closer to several puddles across the ground. He kept his movements precise, he imitated the movements of one circling his prey. The plan seemed to be working; every moment brought him closer to his death. But then;

"There's a man!" Shouted Hinata. Her eyes were strained, her bloodline limit was activated. Sure enough in the distance was the outline Kisame's stalker, whom froze at the mention of his presence. Kisame sighed. The game had changed. All three would now be aware of one another; hostages, captor, and stalker. This left both men outside with a choice. If the stalker kept secret, he could be assumed as an enemy – indeed, if it was Itachi, then he would most definitely be targeted. Yet if he goes to help the others so soon, he'd lose any advantage he had. Only four minutes had transpired since Kisame began to lure him to the puddles, perhaps there was still time-

"Watch out! The puddles are water clones!" Hinata cried.

"Little Bitch!" Kisame roared. He went for broke, what did he care? If the ANBU wanted to try it, then let him. He'd be done with these fools soon enough and move along the border. He'd wasted enough time here already. As he dashed into the clearing, the consequential actions happened in a blur. He opted to attack the Hyuga girl first; she'd die for her annoyance. His strike was going to kill, but he never anticipated the young girl was adept in lighting elements. He felt frightful pain course through his stomach as he was thrown backwards into the forest. Looking down, his stomach was sliced open as the forest sprang alive with cries of birds.

Hinata Hyuga did not stand before him – Kakashi Hatake did.

"H-how!" He gasped.

"…the guy watching you was Shikamaru. I knew you'd question the use of Sharingan, since you've had to live with its influence for some time - Despite you're notoriety you're movements are predictable. I transformed into him before you entered the clearing. When you began to watch your stalker, Hinata and I then switched places – didn't you question why she stopped asking about her sister?"

Kisame struggled to stand until Kakashi's foot pressed into the wound, resulting in a piercing scream.

"That reminds me Hinata. What he said about your sister is true enough." Shikamaru spoke, approaching.

"The Hokage sent them to investigate the Land of Greens, but I doubt Kisame killed them. He would have said as much by now, he knows it would do maximum emotional damage. Have faith in her." He said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder.

Kisame lay beneath Kakashi's foot, groaning in pain and anger. Kakashi then turned in shock when he noticed his opponent make a single hand-sign. The ground around them thundered as it awoke with Water Clones – Kisame had unleashed them all.

"I-insurance policy, y'know?" He laughed, as one clone launched at Kakashi. Pandemonium engulfed the forest, as each ninja fought off the clones. Traps had now been fully revealed, no more secrets or hidden tricks. The brawl was large and loud.

The only fact unbeknownst to most of the fighters was the observing slug that was accompanying Kakashi before the fight. On Kakashi's orders, she was to remain there whilst he had the upper hand in the conflict. With the resulting fight, she decided now was the time to inform the Hokage. She appeared again on the desk of her master, catching the tail end of another heated discussion between Tsunade and Danzo.

* * *

"I can assure you I have no connection to this scandal -" Danzo was cut off by the appearance of Katsuyu.

"Milady! Milady!" She cried.

"What!" Tsunade roared, she didn't need to be interrupted with Danzo on the ropes.

"We've an emergency Milady. Our borders have been attack!"

Both Shinobi froze; Tsunade could have sworn Danzo even flicked a small grin.

"Attacked? By who?" Tsunade asked.

"Unconfirmed reports state it is Kisame Hoshigaki!"

**Well? The fight is going to spill over deep into the next chapter, as any manga fan will tell you Kisame doesn't lose **_**that**_** easily, and neither does Kakashi! Review if you think this needs tweaking, or if you like what you saw!**


	12. Chapter 12: Heart of a Heroine

**Well, this has been a long time coming, huh? Exams are over, and free time can ensue! I just hope that the people who were reading this a few months ago will still want to carry it on now. Anyway, it's time to resume our clash between Kisame and Kakashi!**

This was one of those many little moments when Kakashi mentally thanked his old friend for his gift; since the Sharingan alone saved Kakashi from the Water Clone's attack. Leaping back, Kakashi's altered eyesight foresaw the following actions; he would land three feet away from the real Kisame, the Water Clone would lunge forwards again, as the original would rise and take the right flank, still chasing him directly. The right flank would be chosen since Kisame's injuries would have by now induced a degree of fear, tension, and instability within his mind. Lacking clarity, Kisame would presume Kakashi would defend with his right arm, thus the left side of his body would be vulnerable. Yet Kakashi knew his opponent still had enough sense to avoid direct contact with Kakashi's Sharingan gaze, and thus the right side of his body would be targeted.

Upon lunging forwards, the Clone would be used as a distraction, nothing more, and the method of attack will be a fist – he would force Kakashi to defend with his still-functioning right arm, and attempt to make him focus on hand-to-hand combat, whilst the original would attack from the side with Samehada. Thus Kakashi will allow the fight strike to hit. Considering the velocity the of the clone, the mass of the clone and the full weight of his own person, Kakashi deduced that a blow to the torso would move him at least four feet further. He would let the blow flow through his body, he knew his reaction to the damage would give him momentum, allowing him to leap back further, all the while luring the clone and Kisame away from the fight.

If Kisame is far enough away from his clones, they will lose power and eventually disperse completely. As the only fighter amongst the Konoha Ninja to know this, and being the most skilled in Taijutsu (Hinata being a close second) he would have to be the one to suffer Kisame head on. The distance he would cover would force Kisame to bring about more momentum, and given that he had already suffered a degree of damage prior to this engagement (Kakashi noted the markings of an encounter that would have taken place not two days ago) and was now carrying a stomach would from his Lightning Blade, Kisame's overall balance is not comparable to his. Kisame will overstep his mark, will stumble when trying to pounce from the side, Kakashi will leap back once more and observe the original and the clone collide. Contact with the original would detach much of the Clone's power, plus Kisame would dispatch it out of anger, giving Kakashi a three second opening.

Kisame's sword would be held by both hands whilst he took out his clone, Kakashi would use this to his advantage. By being as close to his enemy as possible, it would eliminate Kisame's ability to swing his own sword, plus he knew both hands were holding it. A stamp on Kisame's left foot would cause him to stumble, a further two seconds of time. Sucker punch to the right of Kisame's stomach, paying more attention to the part of his lower torso that the Lightning Blade hadn't hit, thus rendering the entire area wounded. Kisame will stumble back due to the severity of the wound and the weight of the sword.

Kisame will attempt to counter by slashing vertically down, giving away a further two seconds. A confident haymaker should be applied to the right of Kisame's jaw, moving him left and again throwing off more balance. As his right ear is vulnerable, Kakashi would then use a chop thus fracturing the earlobe, and disorientating him. In fear, Kisame will wildly swing his sword left to Kakashi's head; he will duck and then send a knee into the wound opened by the Lighting Blade, causing Kisame to crouch in, before scissor kicking him in the face. The combined effect of this barrage: Impaired limb reaction, temporary loss of hearing, disorientation – in short, incapacitated. And he called himself a swordsman of the Mist.

All this was premeditated, absolute, destined to happen, and Kakashi knew it before his foot even left Kisame's chest. Such was the power of the Sharingan. The ensuing fight passed in a blur.

* * *

Shikamaru noted the blow Kakashi received from the Water Clone, the rise of Kisame and his departure from the area, yet he was forced to resign his role as spectator when one of the many other Water Clones bore down upon him and the rest of the Konoha Ninja.

He copied Kakashi's tactic of leaping backwards when impact was near imminent. Being aware of Hinata and Kurenai, Shikamaru knew he had two fully capable ninja, whilst bearing in mind both were also liability on his part. Hinata was still in a state of hysteria over her sister, while the fate of his own future student laid hanging in the balance within Kurenai. Shadow Possession wasn't effective in this bout. He would have to rely on more than that; he would have to go on the offensive.

Evading the gaze of the several clones caught in the brawl, Shikamaru decided the most efficient Jutsu here would be one of the most basic. _Dog, Boar, Tiger_, his hand movements were fast enough to avoid detection. Rising high, he wagered a glance at the fight. A clone took a swift look in his direction before continuing to fight Hinata. Good. They didn't suspect a thing. Now was the time to try something a little more challenging.

Hinata's defences were giving out; she effectively made herself Kurenai's shield (though her Sensei was still trying to stop this) whilst holding off three water clones. She noted their chakra was visibly becoming weaker; had Kakashi already done damage to Kisame? Just then a fourth appeared to her left, with chakra far different than the others. Before she could turn, the new clone had fired a Jutsu at her and Kurenai. A jet of water swept both off of their feet, as the first three laughed. The remaining water clones had done away with the remaining leaf Shinobi. All that was left was the two Kunoichi.

Advancing forwards, one clone stood over Hinata, declaring her looming fate. Hinata's eyes strained, and she gasped in surprise.

"Ha! She's shocked that we're gonna kill her!" One of the spectating clones laughed.

Kurenai growled, but fatigue was kicking in heavily and she knew she'd be a liability and of no use to Hinata. What was this clone going to do to her?

Turning to his partners, the Water Clone smiled wickedly.

"Well, guys, what should we do first? Severe a limb?" He proposed, gesturing one of them to walk beside him. Indeed, one clone did as instructed and walked close.

"Ha! Yeah, We'll let you do the honours, that Hand of Waves Jutsu – simply yet effective, why I -" The clone suddenly stopped as the two began checking the pulses of the dead ninja. He turned and scanned the area, then turned to the clone next to him, whom was staring expectantly, as Hinata bit her lip.

"Yeah?" The leading clone urged his partner.

"Why I…er, never mind…why don't we just finish her quickly, like we did to her sibling, huh?" He suggested. The other two stayed at the bodies they were checking, longer then Kurenai thought was necessary.

"Yeah, lets. But why should I have all the fun? You do it." The leader replied, still grinning.

The other clones had yet to turn, but both were posed to move at any given moment.

"I would, only…how did we kill her again?" The clone finally asked.

Silence. The clone decided to follow up his question with a statement.

"We never killed her. Y'know, that Hand of Waves was so good, it made me forget a few things; that shadow boy is nowhere to be seen," He gripped the other clone's neck tightly as a cloud of smoke covered them both, "And we don't use the Hand of Waves Jutsu!"

"Hinata: Now!" Shikamaru grunted, the clone's hand wringing his neck.

Hinata leapt forwards and kicked the clone square in the face. His grin loosened, and Shikamaru threw one of his blades into his chest, causing the clone to finally vanish. The other two clones were as observant as their predecessor; one already to take advantage of Shikamaru and Hinata's need to compose themselves, whilst the other hounded Kurenai.

Shikamaru instinctively trusted Hinata to go for the clone engaging them.

"Suiton: Suihachi!" He cried, and his hands produced anther jet of water, hitting the second clone directly. The clone emerged from the current laughing, as the water had only energised him. His laugh was short lived, however, when he noticed Shikmaru perform the Ox to Hare hand seals.

"You've no water around you boy! You need some on hand for tha-"

"It's not for me, you moron! and I have plenty, from you're dead clone brother!"

Kurenai became startled as a cloak of water surrounded her.

"Break through that!" Shikamaru taunted.

Kurenai noted the brilliance. Since the clone was water, it couldn't pass through the barrier without returning to water itself, and with the original's power weakening from fighting Kakashi, I don't think the clone has enough Charka to maintain its form.

"You laugh like water doesn't mean a thing to you, like it only feeds that feeble Chakra of yours! Let's see what happens when you're exposed to too much!" Shikamaru roared.

It may not be as strong as he's seen it done before, and it certainly wouldn't be much good against the original Kisame, but Shikamaru held out his hand, and concentrated.

The clone saw the movement of Chakra. Hinata too noted it from the corner of her eye. Was Shikamaru really trying _that_ Jutsu?

"Okay, kid, you've got water down, I'll give you that! But that move is the Kyuubi's trademark! He'll have you done for infringement, not that anyone could call that feeble mass there a Rasengan!"

Shikamaru's eyes blazoned as he raced at the clone. Kisame's arrogance was passed onto his creations, and the clone felt no need to dodge.

"Who said anything about Rasengan! Hanonryu!" Shikamaru cried, thrusting the ball of chakra concentrated water into the clone's chest. The result was as the leaf Shinobi predicted. The ball passed right into the clone – him being water – and released the chakra so fast and forcefully, that the clone couldn't maintain its body. Dissolving into a puddle beneath him, Shikamaru turned to see Hinata had also dispatched her foe. Repeated pressure from her palms to the chakra points in his chest was the cause – not from blockages, but following her friend's idea of overflowing the clone with chakra.

Kurenai, like Kakashi before her, had to admit their students already surpassed them.

"…We need to help Kakashi-Sensei!" Hinata cried, racing forwards, but her movements stopped as she saw Kurenai's water shield disperse, and Shikamaru collapse.

"Shikamaru-Kun!" Hinata raced over, followed by Kurenai.

"Relax Hinata! He's just spent, that's all. That was pretty advanced water work from him there, and he's not much of a fighter by nature, he needs to rest." Kurenai gazed at the fallen ninja, and placed a hand onto her stomach – they had families, pasts, dreams for the future. They all shared loves, hates, times of joy and sorrow, and all ended like this. Could she bring her baby into a world like this? a world where demons like Hoshigaki were regarded as 'Great' warriors? She needed to rest, between the fight and this negative thinking; she was still no use in this fight.

Hinata rose, simply mentioning Hanabi again had stricken her with vengeance. How dare Kisame, or his clones, speak of her! She turned to chase her foe and Kakashi, before Kurenai embraced her.

"Hinata! You heard Shikamaru fail to pass off as a Water Clone. He assumed they killed Hanabi. The clone stated they didn't, used that fact as evidence against him. She's alive, Hinata!" Kurenai pleaded as her student, "Leave this to Kakashi!"

"No, Kurenai-Sensei, let me go! I'll hurt him! I'll make him pay! He'll wish he never laid eye on her or me!" Hinata screamed hysterically, tears falling down her face. "I want to make him say she's safe! I want to make him know what pain is! He'll never threaten her again! I must protect her-"

"Like I must protect you!" Kurenai cried, tears streaming along her cheeks. Hinata stopped struggling, "Hinata you're not just a student to me, you're a sister, a daughter! I cherish you! I've watched you grow, blossom into the beautiful woman you are. I know you want to protect her, because I want to protect you! I can't watch you throw your life away like that! Not someone as precious as you!"

Kurenai sobbed into Hinata's shoulders, and continued.

"Look around you, all these ninja, Hinata! What if it were you! What if it were my baby! I lost Asuma, Hinata, I can't lose anyone else!" Kurenai dropped to her knees, as Hinata wrapped her arms around her.

"…I'm sorry, Sensei. I won't leave you here."

* * *

"Huh, your chakra's replenishing; guess my guys are okay after all." Kakashi gloated.

"I wouldn't laugh, you one-eyed scarecrow, that's all the more chakra to kill you!" Kisame retorted.

Since Kakashi's successful barrage, Kisame has had to muster all his remaining chakra and will power to stay on his feet, effectively leaving him on the defensive. Fractures to the side of his head, ironically, were quite helpful in this endeavour. Kisame's hearing difficulty threw him off balance, but the pain throbbing through his head had extended to his eyes. Blurred; they were no tool of his for the foreseeable fight, and speaking of foreseeable, Kakashi's Sharingan wouldn't be so able read Kisame. With no use of them, Kisame's eyes glazed over and were often kept shut. Whilst a small advantage to Kisame, Kakashi' initially saw this development as useless, with no eyes nor ears, his opponent was a sitting duck. That was his mistake.

With his chakra replenishing, Kisame decided now was the time for an assault. He could feel Kakashi's feet swiftly dance to his side. However light-footed he tired to be, his steps would still create tremors in the ground, rippling through the puddles. Swinging Samehada to his side, the Sharkskin blade connected, absorbed a feeble amount of chakra, and the shadow clone of Kakashi dispersed.

"Oh! That's clever Kakashi! I can see why you're held in such high regard by Itachi now! I'd expect no less from leaf ANBU!"

Kisame saw right through it. Leaping backwards, he trusted his uninjured leg to withstand the landing and balance himself - he questioned why he hadn't already noticed it. Kakashi's feet were light, the whole man was slim and nimble. No, the ripples in the water were from _beneath_ him. It wouldn't take too much to learn the Headhunter Jutsu – Konoha scum often applied that move. Kakashi and his clone moved with synchronicity: the plan would be for Kisame to pay attention only to the clone, while the real one moved in from below.

Kisame's landing was successful. He quickly spent some of his recovered Charka producing another two water clone from the puddle. Then he grinned.

"Fool! You move about beneath us as if you were a mole. That is what earth is to you; but not me! Whether it is in sky, sea or land…I'll hunt you down!"

Kisame and his clones dissolved into the ground, their swords sticking out as if a dorsal fin. The hunt was on. The three darted around the forest, finding cracks and etched tunnels dug by their prey. Advancing around him, Kakashi felt trapped. Any movement he made would be sent directly to Kisame's keen sense of touch. It was so precise it was as if sonar. This guy really had a thing for the shark motif, even down to the dorsal fin routine.

That's when it hit him; he's so swept up in the shark image that he'll strike like one too. Kakashi stopped moving and began to build chakra in his palm. Above on the surface, near the clearing, Hinata and Kurenai heard it.

The birds were beginning to sing.

He thrust his arm deep beneath him, tearing through the ground as he went, feeling the crumbling of the surface above him, producing a fissure in the forest. It was reckless, but it was worth it. He was smarter than Kisame gave him credit for. Sharks attacked from below.

Kisame's clone gave a piercing scream before returning to water. Sun shone from the open fissure, along with Kisame's satanic laugh.

"You think this is some nature lesson? That you get points for knowing how a shark hunts? You were so happy that you recognised my hunting style, that you didn't even question why I use it!"

Kakashi stood on the firm ground deep below Kisame. His silence was proof he knew the answer.

"…It's so fools like you attack the clone below, so you don't see _this _coming!" From Snake to Ram, Kakashi knew what to expect. Gai had already told him of this move. That knowledge didn't make the experience any less painful.

Water coated much of the forest with such ferocity that God himself may have been casting judgement on the Leaf.

* * *

Kurenai had been present at Gai's explanation on Kisame's techniques, and the roaring waves were heard before they were seen. Flying up into the tree, Hinata swiftly followed with Shikamaru over her shoulder. Gripping firmly onto the top branches of the tree, the two women spent much of their remaining chakra in staying glued to their anchor. As the wave subsided several minutes later, Kisame's cackle still raged through the area.

"How'd you like that, Kakashi?" He grinned, risking the open of his eyes to see Kakashi's limp form struggling to stay standing on the water, much of his attire torn apart.

"You still got that mask on? I'm beginning to think you were born with it. And people call me a freak…"

His taunts told Kakashi something. They told him that Kisame was so sure of his victory now, he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. Kakashi was. And he knew now they weren't alone.

"You like to watch life with that little red eye of yours, right? Well, which one of your friends do you want to watch die?" Kisame asked ominously. Kakashi couldn't move, his muscles were in too much agony. It was chakra alone that kept him on his feet, and if he risked a step in the water, he'd fall. He had to keep him talking.

"You think that this is over! You just flooded a whole section of forest! Ninja will be bearing down on this place so fast you won't know what hit you, you manic bastard!" Kakashi spat.

"Hahaha! Getting a little touchy, I see. You foresaw your death, and it seems you can't take it." Kisame relished in his opponent's helplessness.

"Look at you; you've spent so much chakra so soon. That wound is just gonna get worse, and you've a whole village to contend with. I'm just one man, Konoha will raise another ten of me in the blink of an eye. You wasted so much time and effort on me, you didn't even think to save some for the main event."

"Oh, and what would that be?" Kisame finished this sentence with a mixture of emotion. He began it with a taunt, but by the time the last syllable left his lips he knew his error. He was too busy mocking the man before him, he didn't even feel ripples beneath his feet. Someone softer than Kakashi, yet who swung harder. Indeed, as he turned, he saw the figures of Hinata, Kurenai and the now conscious Shikamaru steering clear; watching expectantly. Kisame turned to Kakashi and growled.

"You see Hoshigaki; if it cost you all this to beat _me_, then what chance have you against _her_?" His eyes gestured upwards. Within the sunlight, a shadow emerged. It grew, and took shape. The first thing he saw was a fist. The next thing he saw was the ground deep beneath his water, and several of his teeth float away.

Tsunade; of the Sannin.

"I thought you'd never attack him…" Kakashi sighed, as Hinata and Shikamaru dashed to his position, relieving him the stress of standing. Tsunade glanced around the flooded area and sighed. The damage to the forest was pretty severe. She took the time to note the floating corpses of her ninja.

Staring grimly at the water beneath her feet, Tsunade spoke to the remaining party.

"Shikamaru, Kurenai; Take Kakashi to the village immediately. Inform any person you see to evacuate the area. This scum will pay for what he's done here."

Kisame had demonstrated demonic powers with a lust for blood unfathomable to the Leaf Shinobi, and, yet, these words spoken by their Hokage were the most terrifying they had heard the entire day.

Knowing they weren't needed here, the two instructed ninja left with Kakashi's exhausted body. Hinata dared not to breathe, lest Tsunade take out her rage on her.

"Hinata Hyuga; your teammate is positioned with Anko along the western border. I wish you to reposition yourself there." Tsunade's order was firm, yet she sounded composed, not wishing to deter Hinata.

"L-lady Tsunade, he mentioned H-Hanabi, w-why have you-"

"Why have I sent her out of the village? You and Neji are amongst the most loyal ninja the village has raised for over a generation. The ties that bided your clan are wavering in this 'stream' of war," she gestured to the water made by Kisame, whilst Hinata's delicate eyes began to water again, "and your true, brave colours are what are emerging from it. You hid yourselves, reclusive – not unlike you Uchiha brethren, yet the Will of Fire - passed down from my forefathers and sensei - is what burns deep inside your heart. You and Neji carry that flame; that is what saved you today. Have faith in your sister, Hinata, for she will bear that flame too."

Hinata stood resolutely before her leader; an idol for ninja, a symbol of bravery, a beacon of hope – Hinata never thought it were possible for her to feel more respect for her Hokage than she had right there.

"Oh, and stop crying, it's beneath you." Tsunade finished, turned to her with a coy smile.

Hinata sheepishly wiped the tears from her cheeks, and requested why she would go to Shino.

"Root ANBU are positioned there, and I sensed several were here – I doesn't take a genius to guess they didn't lend you guys a hand. They want us to think Hoshgaki here is the culprit to the assassination attempts, and they'll be trying to spread the word. Since Anko's group are the only ones reporting on Root activity, you'll have to start there."

Hinata saw the plan; Root would have the border patrols believe that Kisame has engaged with the Leaf. They would in turn descend on this location, no one would assume the Hokage herself was a part of the fight, and take it upon themselves to defend the Fire Nation. This would leave the border sparsely populated – Root wanted the assassins to enter the Land of Fire, and come for their Feudal Lord.

"…but why would Root want that?" Hinata was of a more trusting nature than Tsunade – or indeed anyone connected to her office.

"…because Danzo of Root ANBU wants what I have." Tsunade answered grimly.

A gush of water arose before them both, as Kisame's wounded figure stood before them again.

"Quite an accusation you have their, Lady Hokage. Having trouble with your subordinates? A sure sign of weak leadership!" He laughed.

"Laugh all you want, it'll help me tell how many teeth I knocked out of that thick skull of yours," She grinned menacingly, "I like to keep count."

Hinata took this as her signal to leave. Indeed as she fleeted away, she heard the first roars of combat from Tsunade and Kisame. It would be a long time, before she ever learned of what became of either.

…**And, everyone is gonna have to wait a long while to see how Tsunade and Kisame mix it up. Well, was the chapter worth it? Good, bad? Next chapter will take the story right back to our heroes, who are about to do quite a bit of mixing up themselves!**


	13. Chapter 13: Cat and Mouse

**Hey Ninja Dudes XD ! Just finished the latest chapter here, hope it's keeping with the standard that attracted a lot of visitors the past two months! BTW Thanks to Cursed99 who pointed out Katsuyu's telepathic abilities. For an eagle-eyed reader, I've cleaned up all the previous chapters (spelling, grammar, spacing etc) - and made it more evident that all Katsuyu's are of one mind, so the plot doesn't suffer, but it's good to keep that note in mind!**

**Anyway, I don't own blah, blah, blah...you know all this, right?**

"Hanabi!" Konohamaru cried, seeing her writhe in pain, clutching the back of her head.

"You! What've you done to Hanabi?" He hissed.

His opponent merely chuckled at this.

"Y'know, screaming the name of a comrade is quite unbecoming of a ninja, kid, but since you're dead now anyway, it doesn't matter so much."

Deidara lunged at his target with deadly speed. Konohamaru didn't see his opponent flank him and swipe at his torso with another kunai. He did react to the impact efficiently enough, leaping backwards and taking a brief note of the wound to his chest, his pain told him enough, it was only a flesh wound.

Hanabi continued to roll in anguish as Deidara leapt over her towards her partner. Why was she in so much pain? The blade hadn't made any contact with her. A series of clinging travelled through her ears, telling her that Konohamaru and Deidara were locked in combat.

Despite his reputation – or lack of – Konohamaru was nimble enough to counter his opponent's movements with his kunai. From what he already learnt, this guy would move fast, yet had to sacrifice a degree of accuracy and power. As such, he wouldn't be likely to come at him with the same move he started with, unless he was sure it'll make impact this time.

Because of this, Konohamaru lured him into a game of target practice. Fleeing into the woods, Konohamaru removed his weapons pouch whilst still running; zigzagging through the trees with no real destination – he just needed to draw him away from Hanabi.

He stared into his pouch; ten kunai, sixteen shuriken, a roll of mock paper bombs (he'd had that since he was eight; it was always fun to scare Naruto senseless by putting these on or around his person). He groaned at his own inability to come fully prepared, and to preserve what little ammunition he already had.

At the clearing, Hanabi's pain began to subside; because of the pain, she had ignored the fact that her limbs were harder to control. Was this a side effect of the pain? Simply trying to rise up was difficult enough, how was she meant to fight? With great strain she turned her head and decided she would utilise the only function she could with this body, her eyes.

It took her moments for her to see both her partner and her foe. Some distance to the west, Konohamaru was crouched behind an uprooted tree trunk, Deidara was above a tree to his left, he'd discarded his straw hat. Her initial response was to alert her friend, but the thought collided with another. No. If she spoke up, Deidara would be just as alerted to Konohamaru's location – from what she could tell, both had concealed themselves.

_Come on Konohamaru, you moron, look up! Look up! _She groaned internally.

Konohamaru slid one kunai from his pouch, and launched it at a rock to his right.

_Distract him, he'll launch at the noise in response, reveal his location, and then it's over._ Never did it occur that doing this would also give away his location.

The blade clanged against the rock. Silence fell. It fell. He drew in his breath. His eyes darted around the scenery.

_Why aren't you moving?_ He cursed his own stupidity. The guy was just waiting for Konohamaru to follow up on his first distraction.

* * *

Hairs began to unwind and stand to attention on the back of his neck. His palms became moist. He found that he'd clutched the pouch rather tightly, and the grip wrapped around the blade of a kunai. Dark patches of red dotted the pouch, soaked in his blood.

_Great! Now I've bleeding hands too! As if I could give this guy more ways to track me!_

If he were to touch anything with his hands whilst he moved, he'd leave a very visible trail to follow. Launching two shuriken at separate trees, Konohamaru darted at the sound of the first impact; hoping, praying that the noise of the second impact would be enough to cover his movement. His prayers were unanswered.

Hanabi winced at the sight. She again strained to stand up, but her body was not compliant. She continued to watch Konohamaru struggle to rise. The kunai that pierced him had hit his left calf. She saw the pain contort his face, as he managed to rise and dash for cover behind the rock he'd initially hit.

She glanced up to see Deidara dart from tree branches to gain another vantage point. Something was wrong.

_Why isn't he attacking him up front? Why the cat and mouse chase? If this guy was Akatsuki or not, he was certainly skilled enough to take both kids on without resorting to stealth._ Konohamaru's position was going to be compromised again unless she could do something.

Konohamaru's first thought was to remove the blade, but enough training at the academy warned him not to do so. Firstly, it could induce more bleeding than he was already suffering from, and seconding – the blade cut clean through his flesh, and hadn't changed its angle of trajectory since it had been launched. Biting back from screaming, he lifted his leg to see the extent of the damage.

His leg was a bloodied mess, but he seemed to have missed any veins, he'd be able to walk on it, if he weren't afraid that he'd bite through his tongue due to the pain.

_Okay, okay, come on! You're a Sarutobi, for god's sake! Suck it up! _He managed to steel himself when he heard leaves begin to fall around where he was positioned, mere seconds since he'd hidden behind the rock. Glancing back at his leg, it suddenly hit him.

_Yes Konohamaru, you've figured it out!_ Hanabi felt a ping of pride for her friend, as she saw him begin to survey the trees above him. He'd obviously figured out that Deidara was targeting from the branches.

Reaching in to his stained pouch, Konohamaru had a stroke of genius; Hanabi saw him attach a paper bomb to one of his kunai, and launch it above his head. Leaves above him began to fall, and he heard one foot step onto a tree to his left. He quickly thrust a shuriken at the tagged kunai, making certain it missed the paper, but make it ripple.

_No, moron, no! it'll blow!_ Hanabi's distress flooded her mind again. What was this loser doing!

Even if the explosion was meant to be a distraction, his body was in no condition to dodge that falling tree.

Luckily, the bomb didn't activate, and a tree several feet away began to rustle.

Hanabi saw Deidara turn to the tree that rustled after spotting the paper bomb. He launched several kunai into the tree into the distance, only to hear one of them hit the shuriken Konohamaru had launched.

_There you are! _Konohamaru had to compose himself, lift one of his bloodied kunai and angle it at the tree where his foe was hidden.

Hanabi's eyes darted between her friend, her foe and that bomb above his head.

"Clever little ruse, boy, but D'you think you can hit me inside these leaves?" Came Deidara's ominous taunts, it appeared he realised his foe was beneath the paper bomb.

Hanabi felt helpless, she'd have to bear witness to her comrade's death, on her first mission; her first mission, her first friend, and they would both end here. Even if she did call out to him, she'd never manage to guide Konohamaru's aim. She saw with horror that Deidara turned to the paper bomb.

_You sadistic bastard!_ She felt repulsed by him. Of course, he was toying with them, for his own little amusement. That's why he didn't finish her right away, why he'd chase Konohamaru like this; hit his leg rather than his head.

He was going to bring down that tree on him. With a twisted smile, he raised his kunai and struck true. The next thing Hanabi saw, was his shoulder and both legs become pierced by a kunai and two shuriken.

Turning to her friend, she saw him dash in agony to the tree he had first hidden in, before running up the side into the branches.

Sighing with relief, Hanabi didn't even question what force of nature stopped that bomb from exploding, she was just thankful he was still alive.

"Arrrgh, little bastard!" Deidara cursed, pulling out the blades. Coated in his blood, Hanabi saw the man thrust the blades into the ground before him. It was only a second, but she saw the figure fade and blur.

_His appearance is fading; Konohamaru must have hit a few chakra points._ This was good news. Firstly, the opponent was losing a lot of chakra, and secondly, he seemed intent on keeping up that disguise of his regardless, thus meaning he has practically no chakra to attack with.

_That's why he's using stealth, Kono said he took a few blows from his associate earlier – perhaps this guy isn't as tough as most ninja, that's why he's hiding. But if that was the case, then why can't I move? What did he do to me?_

* * *

Konohamaru had little time to rest. Frantically pulling out more paper bombs, he stuck two or three onto each branch he leapt from, knowing the noise would draw Deidara to him. Turning, he caught a glimpse of his foe reaching one of these trees and lose balance upon seeing the bombs.

Konohamaru threw two more Kunai at Deidara, but both missed their mark. Leaping to the ground to avoid both bombs and the two Kunai, Deidara began to dart from tree to tree, still in Konohamaru's sights. Resorting to more Shuriken, Konohamaru was desperate to get a kill-shot and threw five more; three were badly aimed, and two were countered by launched Kunai.

_Hanabi felt despair. Her partner was a descent shot, but he has no patience, he isn't choosing his shots. He panics and wastes his weapons. If he didn't compose himself, this duel would be over, quickly._

Deidara continued to weave his way through the forest, passing by one more tree until he fully lost Konohamaru. Glancing up at the branches, he saw the paper bombs, and thought to avoid them. The kid would be somewhere near them, as to avoid him coming too close.

Hanabi could see where he was hidden; right in plain view. The Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu. _Well, Konohamaru, if the basics work, then do it! _She thought.

The problem was one movement on Deidara's part may break the illusion, also Konohamaru can't move while he has the cloak held up, how's he going to attack?

_No, trust in your teammate, that is what being a ninja is all about! Just like how he's trusting me to pick myself up and actually lend a hand._ Hanabi attempted another rise, this time with more gusto than before, and, much to her relief, she actually could move with a fair amount of control and speed.

However, she hadn't the strongest barrier for pain, and her groans picked up the ears of Deidara, turning to her direction.

This was Konohamaru's chance, lunging one more Kunai at the back of Deidara's head, Konohamaru gasped as the enemy parried once more, and had a clear shot at his target.

Narrowly missing the oncoming shot, Konohamaru felt the edge of the kunai slice at his face. To anyone who would come across him at this moment, he'd have looked like the living dead, given the amount of wounds he had.

* * *

Both Genin, at opposite sides of training, style, personality, sex and status agreed on one thing here; neither one alone could win this fight. Hanabi's eyesight would effectively destroy Deidara's stealth capabilities, whilst Konohamaru was the one who was armed, and not suffering from any paralysis. If he could get back to her, the two could scope him out far more efficiently. But how?

Hanabi questioned this, when Konohamaru spent the last of his three Kunai by throwing them in various directions. Hanabi noted that her friend had taken the three blades, coated red from his palms, and then rubbed them either on his chest or his leg, fully covered in blood.

The trick had worked. Deidara couldn't identify which Kunai blade covered his footsteps, and following any trail of blood left behind wouldn't be efficient; all three were drenched in the stuff.

Hanabi felt it best to meet her partner half-way – he had done all the hard-work here afterall, and the clearing was no place to hide from Deidara.

Collapsing beneath another rock, Hanabi found her weakened friend.

"G-good work…" she panted. Her heart was pounding away in her rib-cage. Excitement and adrenaline no doubt, or perhaps a dose of fear at her morality. Yet something inside her felt it had a lot to do with seeing Konohamaru in this state. It…upset her.

"I've lost a lot of blood… I can't see that good right now…double-vision…" He groaned, still holding the pouch.

Hanabi noted that her weapons were still at the clearing. _Damn it! Can I do nothing right here! _She panicked at the chances of her being able to slip out of the forest and back to her supplies – those weren't good odds.

Peering inside Konohamaru's she saw the six remaining shuriken, and the paper bombs.

"I take it they're-" she began.

"-yeah, they're fakes, and they won't fool him for much longer, the whole 'don't cry wolf' thing…" he chuckled grimly. Hanabi didn't like his condition. The tension, the lack of energy left in him, and those wounds were taking their toll on him. Grasping his shoulders, Hanabi stared deep into his eyes.

"Konohamaru, heir to the Legendary Sarutobi clan, with the dream of becoming Hokage! I need you to _focus_!" She ordered.

Something about her face, her eyes, her voice brought back some clarity to his fading conscious. Nodding, he didn't struggle when Hanabi turned him around, placed a shuriken in his hand, gripped his arm and placed her head on his shoulder.

"W-what are you doing?" He asked, revealing that not all of his blood had left yet; some still found their way to his cheeks.

"I can't move too well, and you haven't the eyesight for this fight. Let me be your eyes. Let me guide you. We've got six of these left. If you keep your head, that'll be more than enough to win."

Konohamaru gulped, and then agreed.

Deidara hadn't heard the contents of the conversation, but he was aware that Hanabi had joined the fray. What he hadn't anticipated was that the two were working as one body. Assuming they'd adopt the regular sniper strategy and work as a pair – separated by a decent bit of land – he took cover behind the tree of paper bombs, that he believed would work.

Hanabi spoke in the faintest of tones.

"He's dead ahead. Behind the tree you laced with the bombs. He's breathing pretty fast…he didn't expect it to last this long…so he's a bully, a weakling and a coward, pretty ugly picture from where I'm standing…" Hanabi mused.

"A weakling?" Konohamaru asked, also a whisper.

"Yeah, why else would he do all this? If that was an S-Class, you'd have the skill to be Hokage already. Plus when you hit him, his transformation began to fade."

Hanabi's eyes widened.

"He's moved to the west…no clear shot…damn, he is fast…"

"He is a ninja." Konohamaru retorted.

"No, surely you must have noticed. This guy, he hasn't much accuracy and velocity as a ninja, when he moves, but his leg muscles…it's as if they're being propelled."

Konohamaru had heard of something like this before. But where?

"Just tilt your arm to the left slightly…there you go…" Hanabi's delicate hands clutched at his arm. Had this not been a life-or-death situation, Konohamaru would have found this a little too comforting.

"There isn't much wind, but still…launching it from this angle…it'll curve…" Hanabi explained, her voice so low a mouse would struggle to hear.

"That'll get him?" Konohamaru asked.

"…no…it'll get the tree he's hiding behind…if he's compromised he'll move…the guy's agitated…he may come out directly…we're flushing him out…"

The two counted from three. The blade ripped through the air, landing exactly where Hanabi predicted. However, her estimate of the enemy's agitation wasn't as accurate. He weaved to another tree to their left.

"He's spotted us! Run!" She stated harshly.

The two hauled themselves away from the rock, when several more Kunai clanged against it. Within seconds, Deidara was at their previous spot, before growling and returning to the sanctuary of the trees – his speed still putting Hanabi off.

The two resumed a similar stance as before, Hanabi guiding Konohamaru's arm.

"Did you see him run? Tell my you don't think that's weird…" she asked.

"…yeah…and I know why…" he answered, "…Soldier pills…"

"…I don't know…they're for brawlers…" Hanabi retorted.

"…no, specific types will boost specific attributes, strength, endurance, chakra, _speed_… but they all have the same drawback…paranoia after frequent use…"

Hanabi was impressed by the lesson, but felt the moral gave no solution, she _knew_ he was fast, and edgy, she wanted to know how to stop him.

"I say we use the shuriken, lure him out like we did before…he'll launch more kunai, but they'll _miss-_"

"Konohamaru…" Hanabi felt a surge of fear.

"-he's freaking out over there, that's got to affect his aim…you retreat…I'll hide in wait with my Cloak of Invisibility Jutsu…he'll come to confirm a kill…and I'll pounce-"

"No…You are not doing that…" Hanabi spat.

"-you've a prolonged shot at him…you're calm…you won't miss…" Konohamaru stared glazed into the forest. He felt as though this had changed him. Whether it was the loss of vital bodily fluid, the pain finally breaking down his rational thought, the need to impress his partner at least _once_ on this stupid mission, or finally developing the courage of his family tree, Konohamaru was resolute, they would do his plan.

Biting her lip, Hanabi thought this was lunacy. However, she had little other options. If she retreated fast enough, she could probably do this. But what if she failed. Konohamaru would die. Because of her.

_No, I won't allow that to happen!_ She steeled herself, gritted her teeth and nodded.

"Okay…but if you survive…I'm gonna kick your ass for this…you reckless little punk…"

The two positioned themselves again. After a minute, Hanabi angled her friend's arm to Deidara's location. The shot was true.

Dropping his arm, Hanabi bolted for a nearby tree. Her blood chilled the second she let go of her friend, knowing this could be the last time she ever saw him alive. The wave of Kunai responded.

Konohamaru's guess…was wrong.

Two of the five kunai made contact; one on his bicep, the other lodged in the same leg as his previous injury, damn near close to that one too. To his credit, he didn't make a sound, the cloak was undamaged. Deidara didn't detect him.

Upon arriving at the spot. Deidara noted two kunai were missing, when Konohamaru flung himself upon him, wielding the Kunai lodged in his arm. Deidara's shock outweighed his reaction time; paranoia was at an all time high.

It was Hanabi's turn to follow the plan. Picking up one more shuriken, Hanabi's aim began to shake. What if she hit Konohamaru?

Before her, the two were struggling on the floor, both with a Kunai aimed at the other's throat. Between the tossing and turning, Hanabi couldn't trust her shot. Her blood froze further. She'd have to watch him die. The first person beyond her family who acknowledged her, helped her, befriended her. She'd spent years training, proving her worth. And now, when it _really _mattered, she couldn't do it. She failed.

* * *

"Hinata-Neesan, you're much braver now, than you used to be." Hanabi was scarcely eight years of age, when she walked with her sister to the scroll shop.

Hinata giggled and blushed slightly.

"How did you get to be so tough? You used to be a scaredy-cat." Hanabi continued, wide-eyed and curious.

"…well, it's not like I'm not afraid anymore. Ninja missions are dangerous, and my friends' lives can be in danger…"

Hanabi stared into her sister's eyes, as Hinata searched for the right words.

"…b-but I vowed that I-I'd protect those important to me…I am a ninja, a-and no matter the opponent I will never back down, that is my Nindo…"

"To protect those important to you?" Hanabi repeated.

"Yes, l-losing them outweighs everything else…that's what makes me tough…" Hanabi finished with an uncharacteristic thumb up, clearly from watching Naruto and Lee too much.

* * *

Hanabi knew now how much it weighed, the thought of losing a friend, she would _not _allow it.

Steeling herself, her aim was true, catching Deidara in the stomach. Embedded deep within him, Deidara let out a shriek that shook the forest. Pushing Konohamaru off of him, his intention was no longer to kill, he had to flee.

Hanabi panicked and sent the last three Shuriken at his back, but none made contact.

Vanishing into the woods, Hanabi could see his outline truly leave the area. Sighing, she could feel the rushes of adrenaline still course through her body, her hand was shaking. Did she really manage to pull a shot off with a hand this unstable?

Dashing to her comrade, she saw him finally begin to lose consciousness. Collapsing beside him, she begged him to stay awake.

She briefly noticed figures in the distance, but didn't care anymore.

"H-hey…I-I…told…you…it would…work…" Konohamaru grinned weakly.

"Hey! Snap out of it!" She cried, anger in her face, and tears in her eyes. She had found true strength, she wasn't going to lose it like this.

But what could she do? They were still a ways away from the town, and she hadn't the strength to carry him now. If she went for help, who was to say Deidara wouldn't return?

She heard voices, coming from the direction of the town.

"The scream came from over there!" She heard a woman call.

Footsteps approached.

Konohamaru closed his eyes, as Hanabi rested his head on her thigh, unable to move anymore.

"There's someone there!" She heard a man call.

Apathetically, she raised her head, and gasped.

"Honourable Grandson!" Asked one of the two men who appeared before her.

She didn't really notice him, it was his associate she focused on. This man turned and called out.

"Sakura-Chan! Get Here Now!" He cried, racing forwards and lifting Konohamaru from her. Looking down at the young boy's face.

"Don't you worry Konohamaru!" He cried, "help's coming, Dattebayo!"

**Well? The Main Hero had to show up at some time or another, right? Next time: Team Kakashi and KonoHina swap info, and Tsunade's Police Force snoop a little too close to Danzo: Still reading, then you may as well review :D**


	14. Chapter 14: A Day of Rest

**Hi again, a little shorter this time around. Perhaps you could call this a filler, but I wanted to slow down some of the pace again, and let the heroes recollect themselves and think on what's happening and what's to come. Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

Konohamaru awoke staring at a cracked ceiling sporting only a meagre light bulb. Groaning, he attempted to rise up and gain a better view of his surroundings. His body didn't want anything to do with that desire. Letting out a sharp gasp of pain, he dropped himself back onto the ground, and lifted his head to see his chest covered in bandages, along with his arm and leg.

Of course, the fight.

"Hanabi!" He cried. What had happened to her? Did Deidara get her? Did she manage to bring him here? Where was here?

Turning to the wall, he heard several sets of footsteps swiftly approach. Tensing for a moment, Konohamaru momentarily toyed with the idea that his foe may have captured him, and that whoever would enter the room now was going to be the guards.

Such worries were unfounded; however, as the first to enter the room was the girl he had called out for.

Eyes widened, mouth gaped open, sparkles glittering out of his adoring irises, the young Genin didn't care if it caused him pain; he leapt from his bed and towards the face that made everything feel so much better.

Hanabi bore witness to another side of Konohamaru – a side of intense love and adoration, the likes she never thought a man could ever harbour inside his heart. Completely taken aback, Hanabi couldn't believe that the young boy had felt this way all the way through their journey. The look of affection beaming from the boy's face seemed to fix itself inside her mind, she couldn't help but feel him quite cute. Konohamaru seemed to float through the air towards the one who could bring him comfort.

"…they get like this, sometimes…" Came a depressed voice from behind Hanabi.

"BOSS!" Screamed Konohamaru, with tears so fierce it was as if Konohamaru's eyes were floodgates, that had just been ripped apart.

Grasping onto his beloved hero, the two began to bellow with love, pride and admiration for one another.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE HERE!" Konohamaru sobbed.

"I KNOW, I KNOW, EVERYTHINGS OKAY NOW! I'M HERE FOR YOU!" Naruto Uzumaki's tears as intense as his friend's.

Hanabi took back everything she had just thought about Konohamaru looking quite cute. This was…demonically disturbing. She felt a reassuring hand fall on her shoulder, and turned to see a resigned Sakura look _through _the two loving young men.

"This should go on for a about another twenty seconds or so, let's go back to the dining room." She nodded to the door. Hanabi was all too eager to agree and leave the two lovers alone.

On her way back through the corridor, Hanabi could still hear the excruciating sobs from the two boys, and couldn't help but wonder if any nearby residents thought the ninja here were torturing someone, in the most obscene way.

* * *

Hanabi had to admit that she felt rather 'suffocated' and undermined by the appearance of these Leaf Shinobi. Off the four, only Naruto Uzumaki stood out in her mind; that being his constant pranks and antics spread across the village, his place in her sister's heart, and that 'fluke' in the Chunin exams against her cousin. As for Sakura Haruno, she'd heard the name a few times; as a student of Tsunade. As for the other two, she'd never even seen their faces before. The squad leader, Yamato, was 'plain' – a trait she actually admired for a man who would have frequently been employed for espionage. The boy, Sai, was rather off-putting – with every word he uttered during their conversations seemingly premeditated and analysed before he even spoke them. She tried to tell herself that she should be honoured to have been helped by a team usually lead by Kakashi Hatake, but it was hard to respect them, when they seemed to have shown her so little. Upon taking them into the town below the forest, Hanabi was interviewed by Yamato, whom made her describe every detail of her journey right up until he found them. Hanabi followed these instructions obediently, as if she would have if her father had given them, but felt rather cheated when she was told to leave the room and sleep. Yamato, Sai and Sakura seemed to immediately decide that it was better for Hanabi to sleep, and that she would reveal any information to them the following morning. Having so much buzz around in her head, she couldn't simply rest yet, and since the mission and all its details were hers and Konohamaru's responsibility, why should she have to allow these newcomers to take over all operations?

Barging back into the room, Hanabi laid her hands onto the table and demand to know what was going to be done about the Deidara imposter.

"Go to sleep, we'll formulate a plan on inform you of any assistance you may be to us." Sai responded.

"'Go to sleep'! I am a Konohagaukre Kunoichi whom received this mission directly from the Fifth Hokage herself; I have a right to be a part of this!" She yelled, over the still apparent sobbing down the hall.

"You _did_, but since your encounter with the assassin, I have to say that ninja of more experience should now be deployed, i.e. us. Now go to your bed." Yamato ordered, leaning against the wall, as a kettle begins to boil next to him.

Hanabi growled, who did this guy think he was?

"I am an honoured member of the Hyuuga clan, one of the most prestigious families our village has ever harboured, trained in the arts of the Gentle Fist and full mastery of the Kekkei Genkai the Byakugan, mind your manners in front of me!" Hanabi hissed. She wasn't having a commoner such as this talk down to her.

The kettle began to whistle louder.

"Hey, don't talk to Captain Yamato like that!" Sakura retorted, out of her seat at the table, but stopped when Yamato raised a hand gesturing her to settle herself down. Hanabi turned to the Kunoichi, and felt even more insulted.

Steam began to rise from the kettle.

"I'd have thought since you trained under someone so great as our Hokage, that you'd have a little more control over your emotions, I appear to be sadly mistaken," Hanabi spat, "Yeah, you sit down like a good girl."

"Yeah, because you're such a good example of controlling your emotions, Miss Hyuuga." Yamato laughed, lifting the tea and pouring a cup out. Hanabi glared back at the captain.

The glare immediately subsided, however, as the Captain – instead of crossing the room to give her a cup – placed it on the wooden cabinet, which produced a long branch of wood, carrying the cup over to her. Gasping as the wood continued to extend, Yamato cheerfully gestured for her to take the cup.

"You're not the only person in the world with a Kekkei Genkai, Milady, so I wouldn't use that as an excuse to outline superiority. As for the importance of your mission, let it be known each member of this squad receives missions directly from the Hokage," He then gestured to the brooding Sakura, "Miss Haruno here, _your_ superior, is one of a handful of people on the planet the Hokage has total faith and trust in, whilst both I and Sai over there only go by the names you've learnt when not servicing for ANBU. Tell me, milady, why exactly should a Genin on her first mission have superiority over assassination attempts, when we are available?"

There was no answer. Hanabi knew why she wanted to make a big deal about this. Had she been sitting from the side-lines throughout this journey, she would have been laughing at the young girl holding the tea cup. She'd have yelled at the stupid Genin that she should know her place when greater ninja were around her. But therein lay her problem; these ninja were better than her. All through this trip, she couldn't compete with whatever was in front of her. She was a mere blip on the map next to the two Akatsuki, whilst she was reduced to a bystander for much of the fight against the doppelganger. Kakashi and Shikamaru demanded respect through their reputation, overshadowing them, whilst both she and Konohamaru were displaying more and more evidence that they were poor examples of their families' heritages. Now, as they struggled towards their victory, they were whisked into the arms of these elite ninja. Why was she constantly being surrounded by those far greater than her? She felt truly insignificant. Had _any _of these four fought that man, the fight would have been efficiently won. Yet, once again she had to stare into the fact she was a poor ninja. And that hurt her, deeply.

Sakura saw the girl stare down at the ground, lips pouted, breathing heavily. At a glance, Hanabi would be sulking, but Sakura knew the expression, she'd made it many times herself. Taking a deep breath, Sakura turned to Sai and Yamato, before nodding and suggesting she walk Hanabi back to her room.

* * *

Once inside the simple bedroom, Sakura pointed to the bed, Hanabi silently complied. Once seated, Sakura decided to break the silence.

"I know what you're thinking, believe it or not." She sighed. Hanabi looked up slightly, her face full of scepticism, what did _she _know about _her_?

"You're thinking that you've had to come across nothing but ninja far greater than you: Kakashi-Sensei, Itachi and Kisame of the Akatsuki, that Deidara lookalike, and now us," she risked a giggle of self-praise at ranking her with the aforementioned Jonin, "and you're thinking that you're inferior next to us, that there is no purpose for you on a mission like this."

Hanabi wanted to retort, but how could she? Sakura had hit the mark dead-on.

"Y'know, on our first C-Ranked mission, Naruto, I and Sasu…our friend…were with Kakashi-Sensei; we had to escort this bridge-builder back to the land of Waves. Along the way, we learn the guy's being targeted by enemy ninja, one was this huge guy, a Jonin from the Mist village – Zabuza – he was terrifying."

Hanabi was now looking at the girl in front of her, knowing Sakura was looking into the distance of her memories.

"I wasn't any older than you were now, and the three of us had never had to face someone so fierce and bloodthirsty. During the fight, Kakashi-Sensei got caught and trapped, I couldn't believe it, I mean I saw our Sensei as this _great _guy, but he was helpless. A-all I could do was stick to my orders 'Protect the Bridge-builder' even though I knew, I knew! We stood no chance against the enemy."

Hanabi was staring deep into Sakura's nostalgic eyes, she wanted to try and read where she was going with this.

"I felt so utterly helpless. But it was Naruto and _him_, th-they didn't give in. They fought tooth-and-nail against the guy, and managed to save Kakashi-Sensei. It was then this other ninja, a tracker from the Mist, took down Zabuza so easily, and took the body. I remember, Naruto beating the ground afterwards – he couldn't take it; that even after he, we all, worked so hard, there were still those greater than us."

Hanabi lowered her head; the moral was clear, once a failure, always a failure. However, Sakura continued.

"Kakashi-Sensei told him then, that there would always be someone greater than us, but our job as ninja wasn't to look at them, only at our opponent. He wanted us to know that no matter how great Zabuza was, and how weak the Tracker ninja made us feel, what was important was that we _overcame _Zabuza, and we'd only become stronger by doing the same against every opponent."

Hanabi stared on.

"What is important is that you beat your opponent Hanabi, rather than focus on all those faces staring down on you, focus on those in front," Hanabi felt as though the message mirrored Konohamaru's, "when you decide you're not going to be the one they all stare down on, when you become the one to decide how strong you are – and not somebody else, only then will you grow truly stronger."

As she turned to leave, Sakura told her to take some tea, and think on what she said.

"Oh, and by the way, the tracker who made Naruto feel so weak…he was the next guy to lose to him. Like I said, focus on those in front, and you'll become stronger."

Hanabi took one sip of the tea, placed it beside her bed, and drifted lightly to sleep.

* * *

"And then these guys were like 'Arrrgh' and I was all '_so_' – I was totally cool, Hanabi thought so! She was all like 'Oh Konohamaru, you're awesome, you should be Hokage!' I'm telling you boss, It was awesome!" Konohamaru proudly declared.

Naruto sat, squint-eyed and nodding, taking in everything from his young apprentice.

"And then I -"

"And then you woke up. Stop exaggerating, you're just like him." Sakura teased, entering the room. Konohamaru sulked at her ruining his heroic tale, as Naruto laughed on.

"Oh, come on Sakura-Chan, let the guy have his fun! It's his first big mission! What happened next Konohamaru?" Naruto asked.

"Then I met the Akatsuki!" Konohamaru yelled, though now it was Naruto's turn to be sceptical.

"Hey, Fighting off those bandits single-handed was an acceptable lie, y'know, but to say you knocked down Akatsuki members, at least make them believable." He laughed.

"Actually, he's telling the truth." Sakura responded.

"What! AKATSUKI! DATTEBAYO!"

"Hinata's sister told me everything, _accurately_," She said, looking at Konohamaru, "Naruto, she mentioned Itachi Uchiha."

Naruto stood silent.

"…where'd you see him, Konohamaru? And don't lie, this is serious." Naruto spoke, barely louder than a whisper.

"Er, it was about two days ago, one town over, on a road leading from the Fire nation. Why?"

"We should leave Sakura. He may not have gotten too far."

Sakura grimaced before replying.

"Naruto, listen; I want this guy just as badly as you do, you know that! And if it was anything else, then I'd say let's ditch this place and find him. But we could be at war here. Our country needs us here, helping these two. We can't be chasing the Akatsuki, Hanabi's report is saying none of the ninja; Kakashi and Lady Hokage included think that they were behind this. If we choose to chase Itachi, then we'd be abandoning her and Konohamaru when they need our help. What if the lookalike comes back while he's healing -"

"Then Yamato and Sai can stick around here! You and me will take on Itachi!" Naruto snapped.

"And what! What if we lose! We now they want you, Naruto! What if…what if you tu-"

"Sakura!" Naruto hissed. They were in front of Konohamaru, after all, he didn't need to hear the end of that sentence.

"…you're worried he'll hear, but you're not worried about it happening, about it _waking up_." Sakura turned to leave before speaking once more to her friend.

"If you want to protect Konohamaru from hearing of things like that, then you'd do better to protect him, period." With that she marched out.

Naruto growled before throwing himself onto a chair near the bed. Konohamaru, nonplussed at what the two were so upset about, felt the need to press for an answer.

"Boss, I…er…If you want to go after that guy, I-"

"No, Konohamaru. She's right. I can't let you two kids get hurt." He began to breathe heavily.

"Why are you after that Itachi?"

"…You remember Sasuke?" Naruto finally asked. Konohamaru nodded weakly. He heard of Naruto's friend defecting from the village a few years ago.

"…Itachi's his brother. He took everything from Sasuke. Sasuke's wanted nothing but revenge ever since…he's obsessed with killing him…" Naruto explained.

"…I see, if you guys get to him first, you'll be able to find Sasuke…" Konohamaru speculated.

"…yeah. But I can't do that. You guys come first. Why should you guys suffer because of Sasuke and Itachi? No, until we get that doppelganger and find out who is really behind this, you two are stuck with us!" Naruto raised his head, and gave his friend a reassuring thumb up.

"Right! And the sooner we can do that, the sooner you can go chase that creep! He duked it out with that Kisame, y'know! I bet he couldn't have gotten too far."

* * *

Itachi sneezed upon awakening. He was never superstitious, who would be talking about him?

It was morning, the sun piercing over the horizon. Taking note of the room he was in; humble – one bed, a desk opposite with a window. On the desk were a clean shirt and pair of trousers, as well as a sandwich and a glass of water. Beside the glass was a small vase with two red roses.

Getting onto his feet, Itachi shuffled over to the food first, eagerly taking in the sandwich. It had been over a day and a half since the pickles and the fight. He fell unconscious several hours ago. He had no idea where he'd awoken. A cautious ninja would have left the food and drink, in fear of being drugged, an excellent ninja would note that should the person making the sandwich wish him harm, they'd have done it whilst he rested.

Exchanging his ruined garments for the clean ones, Itachi left the room to explore. The small house had two other rooms like his; one with a double bed, and several picture-frames of a young family of three. The wife, a beautiful woman with auburn hair and green eyes, the husband a frail man with glasses, and a child, not six, with a puppy. Indeed the next room seemed to be the child's considering the toys strewn across the floor.

At this moment, he heard the front door go, and dashed along the corridor to the living room, where the startled figure of the mother and child stood, each carrying laundry.

"Oh, s-sorry, I didn't think you'd be awake." The mother laughed, placing the clothes down.

The boy continued to stand behind his mother as the puppy, now fully grown, trotted in and immediately up to Itachi, playfully sniffing the man's legs.

"I'm surprised you're moving so soon, you seemed pretty comatose. You're eyes seem alright now too." The mother cheerfully noted, though Itachi had the distinct feeling she was a little nervous, since she mentioned his eyes; he had to imagine how horrifying it would have been for her to find his body like that.

Itachi merely nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry, My name is Meiun, and this my son Taishou. Come on, sweetie, say hello." The boy gave a shy nod.

"…where am I?" Itachi asked, not breaking the mother's eyesight.

"This is our home; we're just off the border to the Fire nation. I found yesterday evening, when I was walking the dog." Meiun nervously explained.

Itachi made an attempt to walk to the door, but his body immediately told him he was nowhere near fit enough to hunt down Kisame. Groaning and collapsing, Itachi felt Meiun run around the sofa and grab him, helping him off the ground.

"Please, you're not well. Sit down." She pleaded, helping him to the sofa.

"You're still burning up, Taishou, fetch a wet towel. I want you to stay there." She told Itachi – who was feeling rather light-headed, the lack of chakra and the conditions he was walking in had severely weakened him. He felt close to falling unconscious again.

"What's your name?" Meiun asked, trying to keep him talking.

"I-itac…hi" he sighed.

"Do you have anyone we could get in touch with? Any family?" She pressed.

"I've…a…brother…"

But that was all he revealed, before fatigue took him back to sleep.

**Well? I thought on bringing Itachi back into the plot and move the police force back a chapter, since it felt as though I had killed him off :P**

**As for the next instalment, Team Kakashi (minus Kakashi: as usual) help out our heroes prepare for combat as 'Deidara' tries to get rid of the only kids who know anything of his plans. Like what you read? Drop a review :)**


	15. Chapter 15: The Notorious Sarutobi

**My word! This has been a long time! You'd think that summer would give more free time to write this stuff, but it's become so much harder to find the time. My most humble apologies for not keeping up to date with things, but a revitalised love for this story has urged me to continue with a passion! So without further delay, on with the story :)**

"Yes, yes, yes, for god's sake I get it!" Kaishin cried; the strenuous feeling of being hung-over had collided with the tedious task of gathering appropriate intelligence on Danzo.

For the Military Police Force, gathering intel is especially difficult, since their jurisdiction lies within the borders of a ninja village. To this end, the police are employed to collect information on ninja whom knew every hiding spot in said village, and will have usually taken the appropriate measures to keep their secrets locked up in any of these spots. What is more, any investigation can only be kept private for a matter of hours – considering how you are trailing a ninja in his home turf.

All of which showed why Kaishin found it a little too convenient that within two days of his investigation, he had encountered no trace that his suspect was watching him. Had this been another case, he would have jumped for joy; praising his own ability to blend into a crowd and move underneath the criminal's nose, but he had half hoped to agitate Danzo into action by publically requesting information on the man.

To add more difficulty to the task, any information he was able to gather from the helpful residents of Konoha was mired in admiration to the ANBU operative.

"Oh, in his youth, he could come 'abduct' me anytime!" One elderly shopkeeper cackled, much to Kaishin's disgust. Turning to her equally tooth-riddled friend, he hoped beyond hope that a more constructive response awaited him – he was again disappointed, "Oh my, when he and that dashing Hiruzen would march back into the village, their pipes hanging gloriously from their mouths, ooh, it made me quiver!"

After giving a quiver of his own, albeit through disgust more than anything, Kaishin bid the two ladies a good day and proceeded down the nearest side-street, resisting the temptation to bash his throbbing head against the wall until either his brain or the pain within it fell out. Snarling up at the clear blue sky, he cursed the day god - or whatever other deity was up there - decided to mock mankind by creating a ball of infinite light and alcohol, when it was clear the two would never mix.

Retreating into the nearest open door along the side-street, Kaishin turned awkwardly into the chest of another man, and stumbled quite gracelessly onto the floor, causing others within the premises to turn and mutter.

"Mama, why does that clumsy man stink!" One little girl obnoxiously cried out, pointing at Kaishin, lest anyone fail to identify the clumsy and stinky man. Growling as he rose to his feet, Kaishin shot the brat a glare and turned to face the man whom had rudely barged into him.

"Y'know, the least you could've done is…" He trailed off as the man's stern face came into his blurred view.

"…what? Help you up? Show you the etiquette on how to act when in an art store? Teach you how to properly walk through doors? Do I need to continue?"

A bony old man, appeared as if my magic at the man's side, head slightly bowed and grabbed Kaishin by the collar.

"Show some respect when you're speaking to Master Shimura, he is a great man!" He bellowed, much to Kaishin's bewilderment.

After being viciously shaken for several moments, Kaishin has unhanded by the angry old man, and gathered how many customers were in the quaint shop; all of whom were now ignoring the fine pieces of the art and had their attentions fixed on the farce taking place near the front door.

Panting, Kaishin turned immediately to the man he was originally confronted with, and geared himself with as much resolve as was possible in his haggard, unfit body.

"Sulking away in some dreary corner of the village, eh, Danzo? _Why _would that be?" He asked, face full of venom and cynicism.

"…I do hope you aren't implying I wished to hide away in this cool, tranquil environment because the sun was too bright and strong – like I was some kind of irrelevant alcoholic…"Danzo replied plainly, leaving the gravity of the final statement to linger in the air so that the majority of the other patrons could laugh at the fool before him.

Kaishin was not a man to be outdone by, rational, witty men with their hidden puns and their logical explanations. This old bastard had, at least by his speculation, insulted him and made him look a fool. Ungraciously abandoning the aide of evidence and common sense, he theorized that this supposed art store was one of his dens in which to instruct Root, and was adamant that the only way to stop Danzo was to expose him here and now, for all to see.

Growling at the jaded old man, he stormed past the little brat and her mother, whom both retreated slightly, and pointed at a particularly fine portrait of the sun setting over the dunes of the Wind Nation. Turning to Danzo, he grinned manically and pointed at the painting, his hand shaking with the concoction of booze, lack of sleep, anger, and excitement.

"Nice painting, huh! I wonder what's behind it?" He asked unevenly.

"A wall." Danzo swiftly replied, no tone of emotion in his harsh voice.

"A _likely_ story! Y'know what I see when I look at this, huh? Huh? I see a huge hole where you and your scum-army hide!" He produced a Kunai, resulting in several gasps and screams as many of the more nervous patrons fled.

Giggling at his own brilliance, Kaishin slashed at the painting, until dozens of pieces lay ruined upon the floor. Much to his dismay, Danzo's prediction was accurate in every sense of the word – a wall did indeed lie behind the painting. However, Kaishin was a man of conviction and wouldn't allow this minor setback to ruin his theory. He clearly needed to find a different painting. The entrance must have been behind one of these.

He proceeded to attack each painting in the room with equal violence, terrifying everyone but Danzo and the now seething old man, who gingerly tried to climb on him in order to subdue the drunkard. Kaishin was not having any of this, yet his lack of proper training and the abuse his body had been subjected to from his drinking caused him to collapse with fatigue, scattered pieces of paintings surrounding his fallen figure. Danzo drifted over to the two and sighed.

"Are we done, boys?" He asked lazily.

Both Kaishin and the old man turned; the former with stubbornness and fatigue, the latter with an air of shock and nervousness.

"The dunes painting cost seven thousand, the next three you destroyed cost eight hundred each, and the rest are…how much?" He turned to the shaking store clerk, whom stuttered to attention upon being addressed.

"Er-er I think, tw-two thousand five hundred, s-sir!" He stammered.

"Thank you…two thousand five hundred." Danzo finished, producing a scroll and began to record the addresses of both men before handing it to the clerk.

"If they aren't at home, they'll be at that decrypted ruin of a station near the Uchiha estate, I'll have each bar informed of their debt, so they won't be hiding there-"

"Hey! That's not fair!" Kaishin cried, clearly scandalised at that last statement, until the old man struck him about the head.

"Come now gentlemen; I have little to no interest in playing cat and mouse with people as intellectually-challenged as you. I would have you return to Tsunade to discuss your endless failings, yet sadly she has gone missing. Since she makes no attempt to follow any of my guidance in the current political climate, I have decided to wash my hands of any of it, and am merely browsing around the stores of my beloved village. It must be said that you two only further express her lack of good leadership, if this fiasco is anything to go by."

Rising slightly, the old man began to stammer and disassociate himself from Kaishin, until Danzo interrupted.

"Do shut up Buraindo! You've been following me for two days straight! Disguising yourself with props! You haven't even used a Transformation Jutsu!" He mocked.

Immediately dropping the hurt old man routine, Buraindo began to glower at the cold figure before him.

"Now go, crawl back to that cesspool of failure, away where our village can forget you and that pitifully deceased force you cling so desperately to." Danzo spat then turned.

"It wasn't pitiful enough for you to ignore it, eh, old man! A lot of friction between your organization and ours! And you ANBU have always _groomed_ your psychopaths from a very young age! It wouldn't take much for someone as charismatic as you to…say…_direct_ one of those lunatics onto his own clan-" Kaishin roared, still motionless on the floor with his head beetroot and resting on the wooden surface. Despite looking so ridiculously stupid, Kaishin was unaware of how fearful he looked to Danzo right there.

"…what did you say?" He asked through his teeth.

"Kaishin, that's enough!" Buraindo yelled, clearly hurt that his friend would bring up the massacre at this point. Everyone still present was equally offended. The little girl, however, was too young to recall the fate of the Uchiha clan, and was the only one noticing the stern old man Danzo begin to sweat.

"-Sweet-talk the twisted little freak, did you? A few throw-away comments here and there, about how the village couldn't survive with the clan still in place. Having him and all his mask-wearing friends stalk his own compounds-"

"…You've no evidence…"Danzo hissed quietly, now shaking with fury.

"-I mean, come on! He was good, but one man against his whole family! I've spoken to Kakashi and Asuma over time; there's no one man that could've done that the entire clan – and if he had help, then tell me; who's that well trained to cover up their tracks, huh? Isn't that Root's field of expertise?"

"Be Silent, you worm!" Danzo cried, though the obnoxious drunkard was now on a roll.

"Only you guys would have been careful enough to cover your tracks from beneath the Hokage's nose. Wouldn't want him to know both sets of his boys were at each other's throats! Talk Itachi into _doing his bit for the Village_, and let the little psycho become the scapegoat. People blame him; I'm more interested in who let him off the leash!"

Within a flash, Danzo had lifted Kaishin from the floor, and barged him into the wall hard enough to crack it.

"I said be si-" Danzo began.

"I bet you loved it didn't you? Setting Fugaku's own son against his clan! I bet that got you going on cold nights didn't it? No more snooping Uchiha asking questions about you palling up with Tanzo of the Hidden Rain-" A fist had at this point collided with Kaishin's big mouth.

Danzo growled to notice his rage created an opening in which Buraindo had bought a Kunai to the man's throat. Taking one deep breath, Danzo counted each and every face fixed on the three ninja. He weighed up what was more damaging, Kaishin's bold declarations, or him silencing them with a raised fist – it certainly gave gravity to such claims.

Indeed, many of the customers were taking the lull in the argument to contemplate the likelihood that such conspiracies could occur. By the expression on some of their faces, it wasn't as strange a theory as, say, the ancient Madara being a Mizukage, or the Yodamie having a secret love child.

Turning to face the old Buraindo, "I advise you lower that weapon you've got there."

"I advise you lower that idiot you've got there." He retorted.

For the intensity of the heat outside, the room became very cold, until, finally, both men lowered their arms.

Kaishin collapsed to the floor, rubbing his bloodied nose, as Danzo brushed himself of any dust, before nodding to the shopkeeper and swiftly departing from the store, leaving a wake of tension. When several seconds of motionless occurred, the shopkeeper mustered enough courage to turn to the two ninja and begged them to leave the store.

Both departed rather sheepishly and continued until a block away, finally collapsing onto a bench. Turning quietly to his friend, Buraindo took a deep breath, and unleashed all his anger.

"What…the…hell…were…you…thinking! You've just ruined all our work you massive dolt! You wrecked an entire art store, you slandered the name of the Konoha Police Force," Kaishin seemed to ignore the complaints, lighting a cigarette and laughing, further infuriating his partner, "What's so funny?"

"heheh, I had hoped you noticed it…" He responded quiet cryptically.

"What! How much of a moron you made yourself out to be? Honestly! A hideout in an art store!" Buraindo mocked.

"Well, no, I wasn't talking about that. He seemed to brush that wild accusation aside without any concern. But the moment I talked up the massacre," He gained another snarl from his elderly friend at this point, "He seemed to snap."

"…do you have any evidence to those ludicrous claims?" Buraindo asked, sighing with disappointment at Kaishin's lack of professionalism.

"No! I just wanted to rattle him, I'd have said anything! I made the whole thing up! But you've got admit, I struck a nerve there. Everything I said seemed to scare him more and more. Why'd he advance once I bought up Itachi being sent to kill the clan? Why'd he hit me when I bought up Tanzo? I was just making the connection in name, nothing more. But he read _so _much more into it!" Kaishin explained, waving his cigarette around as he did so, and wiped more blood from his nose.

"Why can't it be that he was saving face? You were being as disrespectful as you could to his reputation." Buraindo retorted, still not seeing Kaishin's point.

"No! Effectively, the guy was shutting me up! It wasn't to save his 'respectful' face, it was to stop me spilling more 'secrets' out. And considering how easily he attacked me, I'd wager my next five pay-cheques-"

"That's not that much-" Buraindo mocked.

"-that at least one of those accusations was damn near right… and they were all _very_ illegal! Seriously, we've got to tell the Hokage about this!" He stood up, resolute and so determined that the nagging pain from his nose and hang-over was drowned by a sense of victory.

"…She's not here, remember. That was one thing I know Danzo wasn't lying about." Buraindo stood up with less enthusiasm, still cynical about his friend's theories, and already worrying about how they would pay that massive debt to the store.

It was at this moment that both saw the tiniest glimmer of light from the other end of the street, and leap apart as several Kunai tore through the air, hitting a passing man and leaving him instantly dead. Both dived for cover as shuriken began to pelt the walls as snipers lingered on several roof-tops.

* * *

The Land of Greens had grown at a modest rate since Princess Haruna came to the throne. The cultivation of much of the lands vegetation was only just beginning to show, and with frequent aide from their allies in Konoha, the nation had opened several squares for commerce. The land had only recently celebrated the birthday of their Feudal Lady when the assassination attempt took place. With so many of the citizens fearing the return of the terrorists that had killed Haruna's father had somehow returned, a sense of fear and disarray shuddered through every inch of the land. Conflicting reports from farmer to trader spoke of the princess's death, the brewing of a civil war from the more wealth-orientated citizens, and that the nation had been liquidated into one of the five greater ones.

All of which worried Hanabi to no end. She would often hear Hinata talk about her misadventures here; how she, Uzumaki Naruto and Choji of the Akimichi Clan did battle with a trio of rouge ninja, and how her sister personally defeated a goliath figure by the name of Jiga. Each time she spoke of battling the monstrous man who could manipulate the magnetic waves around metal, Hanabi could envision herself fighting with all her might, just as her sister bravely did. She had hoped for an opponent such as Jiga, yet sadly her own experiences with enemies were far more humble, and lacked any air of heroic achievement.

The country's nervous disposition prompted her to ask why she and the other ninja couldn't simply deliver a statement to towns across the nation; explaining the real situation.

"Surely, with each area of the nation properly informed of their Lady's safety, the identity of the real culprit and the active protection of us Leaf ninja, that could only help us, right?" She was met with a silent room of stares.

"I mean, if we tell the towns to keep a look out for this guy, and maybe man each town-"

"You mean separately? There are five ninja for seven settlements, not including the palace. That means there are three targets not manned at all," Yamato explained plainly, "What's more, with each of us acting as a single man cell, there is a chance he may target your area, or Konohamaru's. You two had trouble with him last time. If he does strike, how are you going to deal with the large number or potential hostages?"

"W-well, he'll be out in the open more, nowhere to hide, I can use my Gentle Fist easier that way, plus Konohamaru can…er…I dunno, distract him with that Sexy Jutsu thing…" Hanabi's argument was quickly failing.

"What's more, alerting each town could have a negative impact; Telling them there is a very real possibility of another attack will cancel out any good news on the Lady's well-being, the people will panic at the prospect of being targeted more than they were before. Plus this guy is disguised as Akatsuki; they're pretty well known nowadays. Informing any civilian that a guy wearing the red cloud may pass by is enough to provoke a riot. Furthermore, there's no telling how they will react to seeing any ninja at all; including us."

This one reason stumped Konohamaru, who felt the urge to ask why they could have a negative effect on the people. Sakura turned at this.

"There are rumours about the assassination being the work of one of the five nations. It wouldn't be hard to suspect any one of the superpowers of literally 'expanding their horizons'. Seeing any Leaf Ninja could cause them to suspect we had a hand in this."

"What! We're here to help them, why should they be scared of leaf ninja!" He retorted, scandalised that the village his grandfather lead could be suspected of foul-play. They were the good guys after all.

"…Please try to see it from their point of view. They did not grow up in Konoha like us, they can only pass judgement on what is commonly known about our people and our history." Sai explained.

"We are trained killers – that is a fearful thought to a civilian, we've colonized many settlements that in history lay on the edge of our nation, therefore we are, or were imperialistic. We've participated in every single Shinobi war, thus making us aggressive. And finally we've contributed to some of the world's most infamous rouge-ninja; Orochimaru, Itachi, Sasuke…" He glanced at Naruto at this point, to ensure he hadn't offended him. By Naruto's serious, yet stable expression, Sai assumed he hadn't, "which also makes us seem unstable and lacking control of our people. All of which makes us seem quite barbaric at times."

Konohamaru glowered at him for a few moments, then realised he had no retort so resorted to crossing his arms and pouting.

Yamato, feeling as though the young man had finished his contribution to the meeting, felt the urge to continue with his own plan.

"If what you mentioned is true, and I'm very inclined to believe you, then at this moment in time you two are the only ones who know of his secret. He is aware that both of you have seen his transformation falter, and if you should pass on such information to any ninja clan or village, hi whole façade will be ruined. He won't come back here for the princess, since she was never his intention. He'll come back for you two. You'll be at the top of his bingo book right now."

He let this fact sink into both their minds before continuing. Hanabi suddenly felt hairs stand up on the back of her neck; she was officially in a ninja's bingo book. She was now top priority to kill. She was marked. Is this how each of the Leaf's greatest ninja had felt when they first discovered this fact? She hoped they didn't, because all she felt was a churning in her stomach: that somewhere in that forest, there lay a man who was brooding over how he'd kill her. No matter how it felt before, encountering the real Akatsuki or those bandits, this felt so much more personal.

"Yes! I am victorious!" Cried Konohamaru raising a fist to the air. So unexpected was this outburst, that no one but Naruto had a response – and by response, he only followed suit and proclaimed he knew Konohamaru could do it, giving him a thumbs up that made him look horrifyingly like Jiraiya.

"Naruto, you idiot! You don't even know what he's talking about do you?" Sakura roared, ragging him back to his chair.

"W-well no, but still…he did it!" Naruto wept with joy.

"…why are you victorious?" Yamato asked over this scene.

"Because: neither my gramps nor Uncle Asuma got into a bingo book until they were older. That makes me the most notorious Sarutobi ever!" He grinned obnoxiously.

"Really? Because the longer one can remain out of a bingo book is a true testament to-" Sai's mouth was covered by Hanabi's hand, as Konohamaru began to laugh at how great he was, so much so he didn't hear him say anything. Whispering into Sai's ear, Hanabi explained.

"This has literally made him the happiest he's been since he found out he was going on a mission. The poor guy's ego's so fragile; I think he needs this to carry on." She elaborated, as Sai nodded in agreement. What she didn't tell Sai was the real reason. His ego probably could have taken a put-down. But he seemed so happy and confident. She liked him a lot more when he was like that. It made her feel the same way.

* * *

Despite the impending sense of death, Kaishin felt smug enough to note that ANBU mysteriously attacking them, when only minutes after accusing Danzo of betrayal, certainly gave more gravity to his theories. All the two men had to do now was survive the attack long enough to meet with Tsunade or one of her people.

Deciding to make this a fight, Kaishin raised what little weaponry he was armed with, and began returning fire, waving for Buraindo to move to a different cover. The number one priority, at least for the Police Force, was to move the fight away from the street. The poor man's body was going to be found; the last thing the two wanted was for those who find him to rush over and also become a potential casualty.

"Oh my God!" One woman cried, as she and her two children dashed over to the body. A sweat drop poured down the side of Buraindo's face as he turned in horror, calling out for the three to leave. His cry received the ominous response of three thuds, the noise he noted that was made by three bodies collapsing, lifeless.

"Sons of Bitches!" Kaishin roared, attaching a paper bomb to his Kunai before launching it. It was intercepted by Buraindo's, much to his anger.

"Are you mad! If that had hit anything, the blast would attract more people!" He cried, bringing Kaishin to his senses. Buraindo turned to the direction of the attackers and bellowed.

"This is officer Buraindo and officer Kaishin of Konoha's Military Police Force! With authority granted to us by Godaime Hokage Tsunade we order you to cease fire immediately!"

The sound of Kunai slicing through the air of the street halted, and Kaishin saw an arm of the ANBU raise up, signalling a halt on the attack. Buraindo, sighing, went to rise when Kaishin waved over to stop him, feeling as if that was too easy.

"Officer Buraindo, Officer Kaishin. Under authority granted to us by the office of Hokage, we place you under arrest for murder. Come out immediately!" One of the commanding ANBU officers called out.

"What!" Kaishin cried out.

"It was your attacks that killed-"

"You will surrender yourselves immediately in response to the three civilians you murdered," At this one of the two children groaned lightly, and stirred enough to gain everyone's attention. A glimmer of hope lay within the two ninja. At least one of them had survived. The moving stopped as abruptly as it started, and the child's groan was replaced with the small trickle of blood, as another Kunai flew across the street into the child's neck. Both men turned back in horror.

"As I said, you will be charged for the murder of those _four_ civilians. I will not give you another warning." Came the same, malicious voice from the ANBU operative.

**With Root ANBU turning up the heartless-villain-meter to the max, The police force have to make a choice; Fight or Flight! Meanwhile, our heroes execute a plan that will draw out their enemy, and finally beat some answers out of him. Do you like what you've read but feel a need to express yourself through the wonders of reviewing? Well if so, then the handy review/feedback icon is just the thing for you! Why not try it? Go on, have go!**


	16. Chapter 16: Lovedup

**Hello again readers! The creative inspiration i've been recieving hasn't ran out yet, thankfully! So I'm aiming for the next chapter to be up by the end of the week :)**

Baked in a sky of dull heat, a gentle wisp of breeze flowed through the field of wheat, causing the farmer's daughter to close her eyes, raise her arms into the air, and imagine she could drift away along with the wind. She tired of her father's subtle complaints that he had not nurtured a son, her mother's instance that the neighbour's boy was her perfect match.

She longed to see what lay across the fields, towards the jagged outline of the earth's bone. She wished that somehow, this tiny breeze would be her liberation, as she did for every breeze that flowed through her hair. She wished she had the courage to change something, anything about her life, and the destiny, nay, despair enforced by the family in which she was raised.

She longed for the strength to severe the bonds that tied her wilful soul to the confinements of her home. Open air, and a landscape etching for miles around were nothing if one could never venture through them. All she needed was to know how she could make that first step.

A flurry of wings enticed her ears, provoking her to look up at the endless mass of heat above her. Birds flocked over her prison, mocking her with their freedom. What ugly birds they were; villainous, bringing with them a foul stench of blood. These were harbingers of liberation, without any confinements, yet they represented something nasty, something heinous, something that made her want to cry.

And then she saw him.

"Um, excuse me, this is private property, and it's way too soon for Halloween, so d'you mind leaving before my dad comes out." She called out to the young man. He was taller than her, but with the mask his features and age were a mystery. He gazed silently at the very birds she was transfixed with a moment ago, and seemed to have not heeded her warning.

"Hello! Are you listening! I know those birds are pretty and all, but you-"

"They are not pretty." He responded plainly, catching her off guard. "I am not watching birds, I am watching my freedom."

This bewildered the girl, thus prompting her to explain. The mask suddenly turned. It was a white mask, shaped like a fox, white with cute whiskers, yet it repulsed her, being stained with much blood. As another breeze parted the wheat, she saw the gentle flicker of his ponytail amidst the clothing, equally soaked with crimson. She suddenly felt terrified.

"Freedom, true freedom, is an ugly thing. I go where these birds go, because I am one of them. I am truly free, for I no longer have a home." He continued, his tranquil voice flooding her with a sense of enormous sorrow.

Sheer fear drove her to at least provide some comfort, if he felt she was on his side, he may not use the blade she spotted amidst the crops.

"Y-you could always go back. T-to this home of yours, I-I mean." She stammered.

"…no… There is no going back. That is the price of true freedom. Should you ever wish for true freedom, I warn you; it is a prison, without barriers or walls, rules and rulers. Yet it confines you, worse than any other force in this world. It is an ugly thing. And you cannot escape it."

* * *

His head practically splitting open with agony, Itachi rolled to the side of the bed and felt the clinging dampness of the sheets, as his clothing soaked into his flesh. His vision blurring out of focus as he scrambled to arise; feeling at his least graceful. Breathing heavily, he reached out for the glass of water beside his bed.

He wasn't having dreams anymore, only memories. They taunted him, a constant reminder of how low he had fallen, and hope no hope of salvation would ever be possible. However, they also told him something else, something that actually pleased him. The walls of his mind were shaking under the weight of his past. The excessive use of his power had diminished his body. He was losing himself, bit by bit. So vivid were these memories now he could recall everything about them, the sounds, the tastes, the smells – all were so clear to him that he felt as if he were there.

"…You're eyes were fluttering in your sleep." Came the timid voice of the woman Meiun. Itachi turned rather groggily, internally cursing himself for not even detecting her presence.

"I heard you groaning, so I came to check. That's when I saw your eyes." Her voice was a little uneven. She was holding a red towel, and nervously standing before him. Feeling sweat pour endlessly down his cheeks, he went to wipe it. Confused by his previous thought, he wondered whether the wet across his face were tears. Raising his hand after wiping himself, he knew it was neither. It was blood. He was activating it in his sleep now.

_No wonder I'm so drained after sleeping. I may as well done a marathon for all the good it's done me!_

"…That towel was white before, wasn't it?" He asked.

"Y-yeah. I sent my son to go fetch some help in the town. You're suffering from far more than exhaustion…" She had an air of pleading in her voice, implying she'd at least like to know what would cause a young, handsome man to bleed from his eyes.

Standing rather awkwardly, Itachi bowed his head slightly, "No doctor can me, no doctor would even know where to begin with this illness-"

"What illness?" She asked swiftly, her eagerness getting the better of her.

"hmph. You don't want to know." He shrugged and turned away, emitting an air of cool arrogance that came so naturally with those of the Uchiha, yet this did not quell her requests.

"I-I need to know. If you're sick, then how can I be sure my-my son won't catch…whatever it is!"

"…there is no need to worry there. This is…hereditary." He gave a grim chuckle at this cryptic answer. It was vague enough to hide the more disturbing history of the Uchiha, whilst informative enough to ease Meiun's concern.

"Then, then we should contact your family. Y-you said you had a brother, right? Perhaps he could help? We could help you do that."

Itachi gave no response.

"Y-you could always go back. T-to this home of yours, I-I mean." She stammered.

"…no… There is no going back. That is the price of true freedom." The words escaped his mouth before he even contemplated what they meant. Was it the dream, the memory he'd just had? Yes, he must have been simply recalling his own words since this woman before him sounded a lot like the farm-girl he encounter that awful day. The day he freed himself.

"P-price of true freedom?" Meiun asked, clearly bemused.

"I'm sorry. I ask only that you give me my possessions, then I'll leave." He responded solemnly, before heading out of the room.

He sounded just like her husband – so drained, so empty of life. Beyond the horror of the bleeding, she saw his eyes flash red. To most, that would spark a fear to retreat from such a man. However, she saw the pain that those eyes emblazoned. This man was suffering far worse than any illness can cause. His heart seemed so crushed, so damaged. She did nothing when her husband left the room that day. She prayed he would pull himself out of the sorrow.

How could she? When she could not feel the pain he felt. Following her loss, Meiun truly understood misery. To have something you cherish taken from you, that hole inside your chest. It swells, devouring all the light that tries to penetrate it. Had it not been for her son's sake, she probably would have followed her love. Yet this man here, he had something to live for. He shunned away from the concept of returning to those he loves. Perhaps he felt unworthy of it. She failed to stop her husband from seeing that, but she wouldn't fail again.

"Wait!" She called out.

"…what?" He responded evenly.

"Itachi, right? Y-you know it's rude to just leave after your hosts have taken care of you like this." She stammered, trying to hold her resolve, yet something about this man saddened her; he had an aura that drained any life within her.

"What would you have me do?"

"When my son comes back, y-you can get a check-up, a-and then, w-we can talk about-"

The doorbell rang. Both turned towards the noise, and Meiun breathed a sigh of relief.

"That'll be him now. Stay there." She rushed past him into the front room. Calling out to her son, she asked if he'd found a doctor.

"No! But some funny looking guy here says he knows Itachi!" Came her son's cheerful reply outside. Itachi's eyes widened with utter horror. There wasn't a merciful soul who did know him. Whether Leaf or Rouge, the ninja outside spelt disaster for this household, once they confirmed he was here.

Dashing to the front room, he caught the tail end of a nervous greeting Meiun gave to the bizarre figure, who seemed to fill the room. Itachi didn't even need to round the corner to confirm who had come. The stench of rotting flesh still lingered around everywhere this man stepped foot.

Revealing himself, and standing resolute and silent, Itachi stared down the sinister face of his comrade, who only grinned manically.

"My, my, what a quaint little love-nest we've found, eh, _Senpai_?" Zetsu laughed, "Now, can you get me something to eat? I'm starving!"

* * *

"W-what?" Konohamaru asked, clearly scandalised by the statement brought forwards by Naruto and his friends.

"Why us?" Hanabi asked, equally shocked by what her comrades were suggesting.

"It has to be you two," Sakura replied casually, "Obviously, you're the only ones he's seen."

"Y-yeah, b-but why can't we just expose ourselves as ninja, why lie?" Hanabi retorted, already fearful that her cheeks may betray her. She flat out refused to even glance at Konohamaru.

"Miss Hyuuga, look almost embarrassed by this situation. Do I need to remind you that it was your consideration of the general public that gave birth to this plan?" Yamato smiled at the two Genin.

The plan in question was developed whilst Konohamaru and Hanabi rested. The group needed to have the doppelganger expose himself to them, and it was unanimously agreed he would remain hidden until he had a chance at his targets; Konohamaru and Hanabi. Thus, both would be used as bait – and for him to spot the bait, they would need to be publically known.

The land of greens boasted tranquil scenery and was a commonplace of commerce, thus was never far behind the larger countries in terms of trade and news. Both these facts contributed to it being such a highly desired location to move to, compounded with the low costs of land there due to the young government there. Between the still blossoming system put in place by Haruna, and the attacks that claimed her father's life, the land was frequently welcoming new families and businesses to immigrate.

Thus many of the noble families in the neighbouring lands would often take advantage of this prosperous situation and relocate younger members there. The situation was rather romantic; two young heirs would be escorted throughout the land, find their ideal spot for a new home, and begin a life there. With many of said noble families arranging marriages from a very early age, it was a frequent sight to see couples as young as Konohamaru and Hanabi finding their own home, accompanied by an entourage of chaperones – the families weren't so naïve to send two younger lovers into the world alone.

The plan was for the two Genin to pose as such a couple, with the other four their faithful servants. The group would spread rumours that the two were of wealthy backgrounds and wished to tour the towns and cities. Emphasis would be placed on the publicity of their movements, thus maximizing the chances of Deidara hearing of them.

"I don't have enough money for a home here!" Konohamaru wept, clearly caught up in the guise of house-spotter. Indeed, everyone had to take a moment to remind him that he wouldn't actually have to get around to buying a house.

"Wh-why a couple? Why not just one of us? I don't see why I have to pose as this moron's girlfriend for a second time!" Her statement on his intelligence would have been hurtful, had it not been for his previous comment. However, Sakura did note that she was protesting a little too much for it to be earnest.

Before she could press Hanabi on that subject, Yamato interrupted the degenerating conversation and chose the most diplomatic response.

"For this plan to work, we have to play on the public's mind more than our targets. We know he'll come and get us, even if we just dangle you two from a rope outside the window," Konohamaru, snarling from the 'moron' comment, took petty pleasure in imagining Hanabi in such a situation, "However, as we've already established – ninja activity here could be disastrous to our village politically. If we engage him as Leaf ninja, it'll raise questions as to why _we_ were here in the first place; try and explain that to the other nations in the current climate."

Both growled, but accepted this as true.

"However, if we engage him as a private body, here on innocent business, then it raises less eyebrows. Which is why we're using the 'noble-family' act. As to why you're both needed at the spotlight; he may not strike if he can't get to both of you. If one is in the wings, then he might just wait longer – we don't want that. Plus, it looks more natural that a couple would be touring the land, rather than one noble alone." Yamato risked a smug chuckle at the final comment, earning another sulking glare from both youngsters.

"…I-I'm not holding his hand or anything!" Hanabi finally yelled, turning her nose up away from them.

"Ha! What makes you think I _want_ to hold your hand?" Konohamaru snapped, also turning away.

Yamato and Sakura allowed the two to continue trading insults, quite amused at how this 'relationship' was blossoming, since both felt their ranting now would drain them of any objections later on. Sai took this point to furiously jot down every comment and action made; fascinated by the spectacle of repressed emotions that both were displaying. However, the three didn't calculate the love-doctor Naruto interfering.

Placing a hand on each child's shoulder, Naruto crouched lower, to meet them eye level, and smiled obnoxiously.

"Guys, you two _just _got together only moments ago, is this how you want to remember the beginning of this relationship?" He asked, still smiling, despite the growing veins on both their heads.

"Rather than waste time arguing, go round back and get _acquainted-_"

A fist ended his lessons of love. As it turned out, Sakura had recently been called into the Hokage's office wherein she was given a mission of the utmost importance. The plague of filth spread by her fellow Sannin Jiraiya had claimed many casualties throughout the years; her own Sarutobi-Sensei, Iruka, Ebisu and Kakashi – making these great men into either 'closet' or 'open' perverts. According to Tsunade's intelligence, excessive exposure to the host has caused Naruto to show signs of the disease (spying on women's bathhouses, the sexy jutsu, his constantly growing collection of magazines…) and thus the only cure was to beat it out of him. Thus it became Sakura's sacred duty to strike her friend down when he preached of all things devious, his previous comment being one of them.

Opting to draw both Genin's attention away from Naruto's 'lesson', Yamato asked both to prepare to head out.

Turning on her heels, Hanabi marched out in a rush, desperate not to cross Konohamaru given her current state of mind. Reaching her room swiftly, she pounced onto her bed, placed her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them before burying her head in embarrassment.

Yet again, this series of endless misfortune seems to have delivered another trail for her to overcome; now she must pose as this boy's love. Groaning, Hanabi began to rationalise her thoughts. A trail, to be sure, but certainly valid experience for her future as a Kunoichi. If she could successfully lull the townsfolk of her relationship, then it would be a testament to her skills in deception and espionage. Indeed, her sister's Sensei was reportedly an expert in situations such as this. Calm and collected; she kept her real emotions reserved whenever she had to infiltrate a foreign society. By retracting all true emotion, she becomes a blank palette, and her demeanour and reassuring disposition would cause any who encounter her to simply assume her personality. She would entice, arouse, provoke her targets to whatever end she required, and was as easily forgettable once her objective was acquired – drift out of memory, leaving a wake of doubt as to whether she even existed.

Like a phantom she would wander to any plain, influence the lives of whomever she encountered, yet never remembered. Stealth in its primal form. Indeed, once she would return to her village, she would shed all forms of connection with her mission, re-establish her emotions, become once more content with her true nature and resume her real name and title. To this end, if she abandons her previous life – no matter how short a life it was – how can it have even existed? True, pure obscurity. Foolish, arrogant _men_ like those Akatsuki fiends can tote all their powers, yet this was a real testament to the skill of a ninja. And she, Hanabi, would now be regarded with the same respect as her fellow Kunoichi –

"It's just an act, y'know?" Konohamaru chuckled.

Turning with fright, she hadn't even heard him come in. Standing by her doorway, hands in his pockets, and an impish grin on his face, why was he so much more relaxed with this situation?

"…I know…but still, it's just annoying to be…" She began, turning her head back to her knees.

"…My uncle told me one time, that the most obvious disguise was just that, a 'disguise'." Konohamaru still smiled, it seemed to force her to look up again. Her crossed brow told him to carry on.

"What he meant was when you put on an act, you'll always have a 'tell', something that makes people see you're lying. Even if you're posing as, say, a couple, you should just be yourself."

"-but-" She stopped he raised a hand.

"Look, whether you're a ninja, or this 'noble' girl they're making-up, doesn't mean you're not still Hanabi. You get annoyed at my jokes, you're always the first to act, you're dedicated to whatever you do-"

"…you don't…"

"-You get frustrated when things don't go the way they're supposed to, you've always been trained to push yourself, so you aren't afraid to argue with those above you. You get scared whenever you feel like things are out of your control. You're selfless, but you're scared it'll make you look weaker so you act selfish-"

"Stop it!" She yelled, still glaring, but with cheeks so red it looked as though all blood in her body had congregated to them.

"…all I'm saying is, the couple loves each other because the just do, it doesn't matter how they act, as long as their honest. The noble boy won't love you because you swoon at everything he says, he wants you to be yourself, that's the girl he loves."

Throwing one more smile at her, he turned and left. Hanabi let his presence drift away before responding with a smile. The moron, she thought, he had no clue about what he just said. This made her smile.

"…thanks…"

The next day, both 'lovers' stood before their unexpected ride.

"Where exactly did you get the carriage?" Konohamaru asked, scratching his hair at the sight of the handsome carriage that had appeared outside overnight.

"Captain Yamato made it. It did not take long, and I painted it to make it look more authentic." Sai explained, in a matter-of-fact tone, staring lazily into space.

"…that doesn't explain where you got the horses." Hanabi responded, staring down the vacant Sai into an explanation there.

"Well, Naruto said he just…found them…" Sai shrugged, clearly avoiding her gaze. Sakura had to hand it to him, he was certainly picking up more mannerisms of lying since he first joined her team, but this act could still be spotted a mile away. She sighed as some poor nearby farmer would awaken to find two of his prized horses missing.

"Speaking of Naruto, where is he?" Konohamaru asked.

"He went ahead with Captain Yamato, making reservations at every shop and restaurant for the two of you." Sakura smiled, placing each of their headbands in her rucksack, whilst Sai collected all their visible weapons and hid them too.

If stripping him of his tools and headband didn't feel strange enough, Konohamaru certainly didn't feel too comfortable wearing silk robes. The only clutch to his old attire was his trademark scarf, which he flat out refused to wear. After much insistence by Sakura for him to take the worn-out garment off, it was Hanabi that intervened, by playing up to her new role.

"Miss Haruno, it isn't your place to tell your master what he can and cannot wear." She declared, chin held high, with an air of smug arrogance about her that made Sakura sneer.

Konohamaru could have sworn he heard one of the scruffy stolen horses chuckle. He had to hand it to her, Hanabi was far more capable of acting a noble than him – what with her actually being one. She even wore the kimono with elegance, hanging delicately from her petite frame. Running a hand through her stream of raven hair, she climbed aboard and beckoned him to join her.

Sakura begrudged climbed up front with Sai;

"I swear, five minutes," she hissed, "I'll be done in five minutes, little brat'll never turn her nose up again."

Sai simply nodded and whipped the horse in front; who turned with indignation, clearly angry at such treatment, and sullenly began to trot.

* * *

Stalking the humid halls of the decrypted tower, his pace quickened. With little intelligence offered up by his supposedly reliable informant, he was forced to pay _him_ a visit sooner than expected. What was more, he'd have to endure _her_ glares of discontent.

Having her killed would be too costly at this stage; she acted as an anchor to calm his subject down. Should he lose the only family he has left, it could be detrimental to his purpose. Alas, she would have to live, yet something told him he'd later pay for having such mercy. It was never in his nature.

Turning into the room specified, he found the two locked in discussion over something trivial like village supplies. As if such things were really relevant to this organization anymore.

"This had better be good." He sighed.

"…I've heard numerous reports, all of which should affect you directly."

Readjusting his orange mask in the process, he bade them to tell him what reports they had heard.

"Zetsu has informed us of mutiny and discord amongst our ranks." Pein revealed.

"…This was supposed to die down when Hidan and Kakuzu fell. Unless you're trying to make a statement about me and Deidara…" There was an air of mockery in his voice, so much so that Konan couldn't decide whether the sentence harboured a threat, a joke, or both.

"No, it appears these attempts at an assassination were made under the guise of Akatsuki. Kisame has been framed, and retaliated by attacking the Leaf borders."

The mask hid his expression, but it was clear his mind was on one thing.

"…what of Itachi?" He hissed.

"It appears they have had a struggle. Zetsu is locating him now. What's more, they've been witnesses across the borders who say Deidara is travelling to the Land of Greens as we speak."

"Impossible. I left him near the extraction point for the Three-Tails. Not that he'll notice, or indeed care about my absence." He gave a small chuckle at this, seemingly his charade as a fool was indeed for his own amusement.

"That's what we thought," Konan retorted, "So we assumed he'll be another imposter. We wanted to know what you're doing about this."

"What? The mutiny or the identity theft? I thought you two were the bosses. If you wanted to hand over more control then I'll be happy to-"

"We aren't going to make a move on either situation if it could jeopardise the village's security." Pein retorted, earning a glare from his masked comrade.

"…It'll take no effort to convince Deidara to sniff out his doppelganger. As for Kisame, let Zetsu handle it. With the exception of me, that guy will be the only one to talk sense into him."

"You aren't sure Kisame should be your top priorty?" Konan asked.

"…No, let's see how he does. I can't risk stepping in front of the Hokage so soon, plus we'll gauge his effectiveness. It'll tell us what _you _may need to do." With a gesture to Pein, he gave another chuckle.

"The Kyuubi is Itachi's, we stick to the plan. I'm not leaving the village yet."

"It's his _if_ he's alive…regardless, you have my answer. I'll take care of our little copycats. You two, do…_whatever_…it is you do."

Konan stepped forwards.

"Don't forget your place! Nagato rules here. He owns you!" She spat, but was silenced as her friend raised a hand to stop her.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten who rules here. Don't worry about that…" He turned at the strike of lightning and was already behind her, his breath on her neck, a Kunai to her throat. After several seconds of revulsion, she heard him speak.

"…after all, Tobi is a good boy."

**I confess that the in my original drafts, the last sequence here never happened - I was to write that Tobi learnt of the Doppleganger by unknown means, paying homage ot the character's excellent level of knowledge on all things Shinobi, but as a fan of the manga - I just couldn't help myself :P**


End file.
